Back Together
by Hitomi Junko
Summary: Summary: After 3 years of Sasuke’s departure, Sakura comes eye to eye with Team Hebi, ALONE. Team Hebi was in need of a Proper Medical Ninja for their team so Sakura joins them, wanting to escape afterwards. What would happen?
1. Chapter 1 Encounter

_**Back together.**_

*Team Hebi = Team Snake.

**Bold: Inner Sasuke/Sakura**

_Italic: thinking._

"Inverted Commas": Talking

Characters:  
Sakura, Sasuke, Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin, Orochimaru, Itachi and gang, Naruto and Gang.

Summary: After 3 years of Sasuke's departure, Sakura comes eye to eye with Team Hebi, ALONE. Team Hebi was in need of a Proper Medical Ninja for their team so Sakura joins them as Naruto and the others were still missing, but unknown to her, looking for her frantically. What would happen? Suigetsu and Juugo are totally fine with her, Karin glares daggers at her and Sasuke, plain old Sasuke.

**CHAPTER 1: ENCOUNTER.**

Sakura just had to find a way to be reunited with Team Kakashi. Kakashi, Sai, Yamato and Naruto had been separated from her after she got hit by Naruto in his Kyuubi form while battling Hidan and Kakuzu, akatsuki members. The impact was so bad, that it sent her flying and breaking many trees with her back, away from her Team. As she jumped through trees, she sensed the chakra of 4 people. Two of them had an exceptionally large amount of chakra. Assuming it was Kakashi and Naruto in her weak and injured state, she wasn't able to think clearly so she just headed that Direction. She didn't know that she was in the direction of trouble.

* * *

"Sasuke- Kun! I sense someone coming towards us!" Karin exclaimed.

"SomeONE? That shouldn't be a problem considering that its just one against us." Sasuke replied impassively.

"Okay Sasuke-Kun!" Karin replied.

* * *

"OH MY GOSH! I HIT SAKURA AND SHE WAS SENT FLYING DOWN TREE TO TREE AND NOW SHE'S MISSING?!" Naruto screamed, after returning to his original form and regaining consciousness.

"… Yes." Kakashi and Yamato replied.

"Yups. You sent ugly flying away." Sai added on.

* * *

Then, the **encounter**.

"Guys! I was so worried I wouldn't find you! So-" Sakura came to a complete halt as she realized the 4 presences she sensed were not her team's but another team's.

As team Hebi turned around, two certain people had the shock of their lives. Sakura stared in disbelief as she came face to face with her ex Team mate.

_Uchiha Sasuke._

Sasuke couldn't help but have his eyes widened at this sight. From his Impassive face to this- Suigetsu and the rest were impressed.

"Sa-Sasuke…"

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder…_What happened to 'Sasuke-KUN'?_

"Sakura." He replied, trying to sound as impassive as possible. Apparently, it was a failed attempt, as Team Hebi began to wonder who the hell that mystery girl was and why Sasuke seemed so taken aback, in all their years of knowing his impassive personality.

"W-what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

"It's none of your business. What are YOU doing here?"

"I guess its none of your business too." Sakura replied, shocking sasuke. _This is definitely not the Sakura I know… she would be running up to me and hugging me and not even dare to answer me in that way…_

Karin could not take the 'oh my god, its you!' vibes coming from both of them and decided to charge towards Sakura. She sent her famous kick towards Sakura, of which has killed many people due to the weights in her boots and her accurate aiming,(A/N decided to add this to Karin's abilities so she would seem, err reckless) but had a different outcome then she had expected. Sakura easily dodged. Karin then sent a hand filled with Chakra that would stop all of Sakura's chakra points (like kabuto or neji). Sakura was unable to dodge that move in time, so she had no choice but to attack, in order to avoid Karin's attack. She sent her fist flying into the ground. Karin laughed as she did that, to ridicule Sakura. Suddenly, cracks formed in the ground and a crater was formed. It was like a terrible earthquake. Team Hebi jumped off the ground, in order to avoid the attack. Sasuke's facial expression was priceless. _H-how on earth did she get THIS strong?! The whole ground crumbled for god's sake! This isn't the weak and useless Sakura I knew!_ He wasn't able to gather himself and acknowledge the fact that Sakura has grown; into a respectable Ninja known throughout Konoha.

Karin, unfortunately, had fallen during the impact. She was now holding onto a tree's buttress root. Sakura had no intentions of killing her, so she pulled Karin from the root and helped her onto safe ground. "Are you okay?" Sakura asked, as she noticed the huge scratch on Karin's thigh which was bleeding. "W-why did you save- OUCH!" Karin replied as the scratch stung her. The rest of Team Hebi had jumped towards the spot where Sakura and Karin were. Suigetsu, Juugo, and HELL, even Sasuke was shocked beyond words. How could a 15 year old girl like Sakura do that!? Their shock increased to the utmost level when green chakra began emitting from Sakura's hand. She brought her hand to Karin's leg. They all saw Karin's wound slowly closing up and healing, to a extent that not a scratch was now seen. "Awesome…" Suigetsu muttered under his breath. _Not only has she superhuman strength, she also knows Medical ninjutsu?! How FAR has she grown!?_ This sentence kept repeating itself in Sasuke's mind as he stared at his ex Teammate as she healed Karin.

When she was done, she looked up only to see 3 guys looking at her in awe, and Karin giving her a 'You are darn strong to be true' look. "What?" she asked.

"GIRL! YOU'RE TOTALLY AWESOME!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

"How is she related to you, Sasuke?" Juugo turned to Sasuke as he inquired.

"We're not related… We were teammates. Back in Konoha." Sasuke explained as he continued to stare at his Pink haired Teammate.

"Hey pinky! Did you get your hair dyed or something? Even the roots of your hair are pink! It's unbelievable how effective your hair dye is! I want to dye mine Purple! " Suigetsu asked with a huge grin, interested.

"First of all, my name is Sakura, NOT pinky! And second…"

"Her hair is naturally pink." Sasuke interrupted.

"OH? That's awesome!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

"Yeah, Right. Having a head of Pink is definitely great. NOT. She looks like a complete Retard." Karin butted in, jealous that her Team was so interested in this girl.

"Excuse me? Having a hairstyle of yours just says that you haven't washed your hair in a hundred years! And did your comb break in half while you were combing your hair halfway or is that your style? One side messy and one side neat." Sakura growled back.

"! PINKY! I LIKE YOU!" Suigetsu exclaimed, laughing his head off as Sakura had the same hobby as his- irritating Karin.

"Sakura, you mean. You wouldn't want to make her angry, Suigetsu." Juugo said, as he chuckled at Sakura's words. Karin on the other hand, started whining and complaining to Sasuke.

"Saaassukkkeee- Kunnnn! Loook what your EX said to meee! She's soo meannn!" Karin whined as she hugged Sasuke.

Sasuke pushed her away before walking away and saying "You deserved it."

**

* * *

**

Me:

How was it?! HEHE! What would Sasuke do with Sakura? Kill her? Let her go?

**Sakura:** He better not kill me. SHANNARO! *

**Karin:** Sasukkeee-Kunn! Kill her!

**Sasuke:** …Hn...

**Suigetsu:** DON'T KILL PINKY! JUUGO'S ON MY SIDE!

**Juugo:** Oh look! A birdie! :D

**Me: **OKAY! Enough Chit Chat! Suigetsu!

**Suigetsu: **See you in the next chapter! Review, and give ideas please!

Shannaro- Japanese translation for CHA! In English version of Naruto

[HEH! INNER SAKURA AND SASUKE HAVE NOT APPEARED... _**YET**_! :D]

Notice, the name of the chapter appears in the story? It's in bold :) This shows I don't randomly pick chapter titles! :P

**PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER!**

"I should get going now." Sakura announced. Karin seemed overjoyed.

"You're not going anywhere." Sasuke suddenly said, looking at her.

Suigetsu walked up to her and leaned down on her, face inches from hers, and said with a huge grin, "You're exactly what we need."

Sakura was paralyzed_. What would they do with me? Kill me? _

With that going through her mind, she finally had the guts to ask, "W-what do you mean?"


	2. Chapter 2 An Unlikely Beginning

Firstly, i would like to thank the people who took precious time to review, and yes, I agree that Sakura and Suigetsu make a great KARIN BASHING TEAM! Whoohoo~!!! Anyway, thanks so much again, and here's the next chapter you asked for!! :DD

**CHAPTER 2: An unlikely beginning**

Team Hebi and Sakura were now lost at what to do, well maybe except for a certain chicken butt haired Sasuke. After a brief moment of silence from everyone, Sakura stood up from her sitting position, of which she sat while talking to suigetsu and answering all his 'who, what, when, where, how' questions.

"I should get going now." Sakura announced. Karin seemed overjoyed.

"You're not going anywhere." Sasuke suddenly said, looking at her. Suigetsu walked up to her and leaned down on her, face inches from hers, and said with a huge grin, "You're exactly what we need." Sakura was paralyzed_. What would they do with me? Kill me? _With that going through her mind, she finally had the guts to ask, "W-what do you mean?"

Expecting an answer like "You're exactly what we need to threaten Naruto into not butting into our business." Or "exactly what we need to kill and send back to Konoha so that they would not know our whereabouts and would be warned into not messing with us", she prepared herself. Though, when sasuke suddenly decided to be more social and answer her question for them, Sakura's eyes widened as the answer shocked her. "You're joining Team Hebi, Sakura." Were the exact words that came out of Sasuke's mouth. _They want ME to join their team?!_ Sakura thought. "W-why?" she asked.

"Because, we need a proper medical ninja, as Karin's skin looks like it's gonna tear apart." Suigetsu answered. "You seem good enough, plus, you know Sasuke, and he doesn't seem to have a problem with you." Juugo added on. "DON'T I HAVE A SAY IN THIS!?" Karin screamed.  
Ignoring her completely, Sasuke asked, "So, what do you think? Especially with Naruto and the others still missing..." Sasuke knew that as Sakura had been explaining about why she was here and where her team was and everything to Suigetsu, and Sasuke had been attentively listening. Sakura thought about it.

_I'm going to help my ex teammate who is considered a missing nin to Konoha fulfill his purpose? Is that right? But with Naruto and the others still missing, I do not know this place and I would be wandering aimlessly… I guess I should tag along with them first… and when I sense Naruto and the others, I'll escape. No harm done._

Sakura finally came to a decision.

"Okay." She said. Juugo and Suigetsu jumped for joy. Karin screamed in agony. And Sasuke, looked like he was expecting that answer was **an unlikely beginning** for Sakura.

"Lets move." Sasuke announced. Then, they began to jump from tree to tree.

_**OH PLEASE! Do you think I'll believe that you asked your darling Sakura to join the team just because you need a 'proper medical ninja'? Karin's skin would heal by itself and besides, you have Orochimaru's reincarnation technique! Something's up! :D**_

_What the hell? Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my mind!?_

_**I am, Inner Sasuke! Carrying on, SASUKE LIKES SAKURAAAA!**_

_No I don't! NOW SCRAM!_

_**Uh uh uh! Come on, admit it! You're love for her hasn't changed!**_

_SHUT UP!_

_**You think I do not know? You're heart ached deeply when you had to abandon her on the bench THAT NIGHT.**_

_ARGH GO AWAY!_

_**Admit it! You still like her!**_

_FOR THE LAST TIME, GO A-_

"Sasuke? Are you okay? You're facial expression is really freaking me out. You seem darn angry…" Sakura interrupted his thoughts. That, he was grateful for.

"No, its nothing." Sasuke replied, impassive again.

"Okay, suit yourself…" Sakura trailed off as she went ahead with him, ahead with Suigetsu and Juugo. Now with Sakura, Suigetsu and Juugo jumping ahead, who do you think is left with Sasuke? DING DING! YOU'RE RIGHT! Karin.

"Sasukee-Kunn! Are you sure you want to let that useless bitch join our team!?" Karin whined at him as she jumped at the same pace as him.

"Stop badmouthing her. And go away." Sasuke replied in an ever so cold manner as he jumped ahead with the rest, leaving Karin behind.

"I'm starting to think that they want to replace me with that bitch Sakura! Something has to be done!" Karin muttered to herself as she caught up with the rest.

"SO Sakura! Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Suigetsu asked suddenly.

Sakura was puzzled at what to answer, as her one and only true love was… She turned to her right. Uchiha Sasuke.

"Err…why?" She asked back, trying to avoid answering.

"Well, just wondering. A girl like you should have many admirers since you're so strong- Am I not wrong?" Suigetsu replied, clearly not thinking about asking her out.

"Err… No I don't…" Sakura replied unwillingly.

"Oh, well that's a pity." Suigetsu sighed.

_**WHEEPEEE! SHE'S SINGLE! Go go go Sasuke! Ask her out! Its our chance!**_

_What the! YOU again!? Sasuke sighed at himself._

While Sasuke continued arguing with himself, Karin and Sakura argued with each other, while Suigetsu and Juugo watched- Clearly entertained. They then stopped when they arrived in The cloud village, and went to find a hotel to stay in for the time being- as their sleeping bags were stolen by some wild animals. Sasuke walked up to the counter and asked for 5 rooms, each with a single bed. The cloud village was a place whereby Sakura knew how to go back to Konoha from. So she planned on how she would escape. The lady at the counter then said only 3 rooms were available, each with two beds. They then settled for the 3 rooms. Sleeping plans.

Room 123: Juugo.

Room 124: Suigetsu and Karin.

Room 125: Sakura and Sasuke.

"WHAT!? I WANNA SLEEP WITH YOU SASUKE-KUNNNN! WHY AM I STUCK WITH THAT IDIOTIC FISH!!" Karin screamed.

"Because, you would rape Sasuke when he's asleep." Suigetsu replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

"BUT HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT THAT SAKURA BITCH WOULD NOT RAPE HIM!?" Karin retorted.

"That's because she's clearly not a slut like you! And besides! Sasuke and Sakura were Teammates before! Sasuke would not arrange this if he knew Sakura would do that sort of thing to him!" Suigetsu argued, clearly ALSO not happy that he was sleeping in the same room with her.

"Because" Sasuke sighed as he explained. "Juugo is a mad killing machine, thus having to have a room to himself. If Suigetsu and Sakura slept in the same room, they would be playing and talking all night. If I and Karin sleep in the same room, she would do who knows what. If Sakura and Karin share a room, Karin would kill her. SIMPLE AS THAT." Sasuke finished, clearly annoyed. He ignored Karin's pleas and walked up to the elevator.

"Do you think I'd want to share a room with Sasuke? We're all unhappy with it. Okay?" Sasuke heard Sakura said as she argued with Karin.

_What on earth happened to the Sakura I knew? She would be jumping for joy if she could share a room with me… Something's wrong._ Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, AGAIN.

_**PUH-LEASE! You're just depressed that you're not being showered with love from her like last time.**_

_Argh! GO THE HELL, AWAY FROM MY MIND, FOR THE LAST TIME! _

_**Whatever! I'll be back when you and Sakura-chan are making Little Uchiha babies!! Yeah :) **_

_WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?_

While Sasuke was arguing with herself, Sakura seemed to have 'opened' up her inner self.

_**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! WE'RE SHARING A ROOM WITH SASUKEEE! HIP HIP HOORAYY!! xDDDDD**_

_What the hell! INNER SAKURA!? I THOUGHT YOU VANISHED 3 YEARS AGO AFTER SASUKE LEFT!_

_**Well, Now I'm back and ready to go! :D**_

_Sheesh go away. And I'm NOT happy with the arrangement._

_**OH yeah? You get to have your first love in the same room as you! Woooolaalaa!**_

_GO AWAY!_

And with that, Both Inner Sasuke and Inner Sakura vanished, for the time being.

Sakura thought to herself. Team Hebi didn't seem as bad as it was.

In fact, the scary part was, each of the members really reminded her of Team 7.

Suigetsu really reminded her of Naruto, her great hyperactive teammate.

Karin reminded her of her old self- the one that crushed on and was obsessed with Sasuke like there was no tomorrow.

(A/N old self cos Sakura came to really love Sasuke after spending more time with him :P)

Juugo was so quiet and supportive of her, that he really reminded her of Kakashi sometimes.

Sasuke, duh, Sasuke.

* * *

Me: WOOOO~! What would happen in that CERTAIN room!?

Sasuke: Nothing. Hn.

Sakura: YEAH. NOTHING. What do you expect to happen!?

Me: Ahem Ahem!

Sakura: SHANNARO! NOW YOU'RE ASKING FOR IT!

Me: OUCH! SA- SU- KE! OUCH! TA-KE IT AWAYYY!! OUCH!

Sasuke: Hn… Read, review and give ideas.

Me: SAY PLEASE! OUCH!

Sasuke: Hn. Please.

Sorry there's no preview yet! I haven't thought of one! I'll upload the next chapter when i've thought of a new idea! :DD THANKS FOR READINGG~!


	3. Chapter 3 Sakura's escaping

Note: Heyy! Thanks again for the reviews and those of you who stuck with me! I took real long cos I had to think of the you know, story. But well, eh hehe. Here it is! :P Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

CHAPTER 3: Sakura's escaping

The whole of Team Hebi went into the 17th Floor. They then split up to their respective rooms.

JUUGO's POV

_Doo doo dum dum. Wheepee, I get to have my own room! That way, I can talk to the birds and maybe fly away with them without any interruption!_

SUIGETSU'S POV

_Man… why do I get the slut!? Its bloody pissing! Oh wells… OH YEAHS! I needa sharpen my knife that I stole from Zabuza!!! That zombie; He freaks me out._

KARIN'S POV

_NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I WANNA SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM AS SASUKEEEE! What if that Sakura does something to him! I can't take it! I have to spy!_

SAKURA'S POV

_I can escape during night, when Sasuke's taking a walk or something. He likes Long Walks if I remember clearly. So I'll take that route and then…………_

SASUKE'S POV

… _Hn… Sakura's sure to beg me to go back to Konoha. Watch out Itachi, you're gonna die soon._

* * *

Sasuke opened the room door. Suigetsu and Karin argued as they went inside the room. Juugo SKIPPED into the room. Sakura and Sasuke went into the room and put down their stuff at opposite sides of the room, where the two beds were.

Sakura went to bathe first. When she came out in her 'in house' clothes, she noticed Sasuke was gone.

_He must have went for one of his walks! YES! A chance!_ She thought to herself, and proceeded to revise her plan. She ran back into the bathroom to change into her ninja clothes and packed her stuff quickly. "Now, the plan will be carried out!" She said to herself happily, before thinking to herself;

_Naruto, Sai, Yamato and Kakashi! I'm gonna go find you guys now! Where are you anyway!? No, I should go to Konoha to report to Lady Tsunade and Shizune first!_

She jumped out of the window and was sure to look out for Sasuke while he was taking his ever so long walks. He always took long paths so Sakura decided to take the shortcut. She knew it as she had been in a mission in the cloud village with Lee's Team and they had to study the area for an ambush. She jumped through the trees until she stopped at a pathway. "Sasuke should have not taken this way." She muttered to herself, as she continued walking at a fast pace. She turned her body halfway and looked back at the hotel, which looked really small from where she was at.

_Am I ever gonna see you again, Sasuke? I wanted to try persuading you to come back to Konoha but I know your heart is set on Itachi… Sorry Naruto… I can't bring him back. We'll try again some other time. Besides… I put a tracking device on his katana. (A/N name of his sword. I think :X I think there's a spelling error or something.) Man I'm good! YEAH!_

She turned back and proceeded walking.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Sakura froze as she heard this sentence come out from a familiar voice. She turned around to see Sasuke. She gave him a what-the-hell-what-are-you-doing-here-i-thought-you-wouldn't-take-this-route! Face.

"S-sasuke!" she finally had the gut to say.

Sasuke reappeared behind her. "Do you think I'm that stupid?" he whispered into Sakura's ear. Sakura didn't know what to say- she was totally frozen.

"You're too predictable Sakura…that's a pointer that'd never change. Go back." Sasuke ordered.

"N-NO! I want to go back to Konoha! Didn't you say I had my say?!" Sakura turned around to face Sasuke and retorted.

Sasuke leaned down on her, faces now barely inches from hers. Sakura blushed and Sasuke smirked. "You're say was long over." He replied before lifting Sakura up in his arms and carrying her bridal style.

"L-LET GO OF ME! PUT ME DOWN!" Sakura said and made a lot of noise and struggled in Sasuke's arms. The whole village was awoken by a certain couple jumping through tree to tree; One in the other's arms. Clearly, that means Sasuke's really ignoring her; For now. When they reached the hotel, Suigetsu was sitting outside his hotel room.

Sakura saw him and asked him while still in Sasuke's arms, "Suigetsu! What are you doing outside? You'll get a cold!"

Suigetsu turned to look at Sakura and was clearly surprised that Sasuke was carrying her and was too taken aback to answer.

"You… Sasuke…" Was all that he could answer.

At that moment of time was when Sakura finally realized why Suigetsu was unable to answer her question.

"RIGHT! SASUKE! Put me DOWN!" Sakura growled.

Sasuke sighed and dropped her on the floor beside him.

"OUCH! HEY! WHAT WAS THAT-" Sakura screamed at him but was interrupted by Suigetsu.

"Okay… Now that its not so awkward… That Karin threw me out because I borrowed her comb to help in sharpening the smaller areas of my sword, and broke it. She got so angry and threw me out. Unreasonable!" Suigetsu complained, still sitting on the floor.

"Never knew she actually OWNED a comb… I mean whats with her hairstyle…" Sakura mumbled. Sasuke smirked and Suigetsu…

"HAHAHAHAHA! PINKYY! You and I are really gonna be GREAT buddies!" Suigetsu shouted in joy.

"You were just about to lose her today too…" Sasuke said and turned to Sakura and looked at her in a I'll-deal-with-you-later look. He turned and opened the hotel room, though still engaged in the conversation.  
"WHAT!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke explained while Sakura looked kinda annoyed and Guilty at the same time. Suigetsu then poured his heart out to Sakura about how without her the Anti- Karin group won't be completed and how she changed his life about bothering Karin, while Sakura listened with a o_o face.

"WHAT HAPPENED!? I HEARD NOISE!" Karin suddenly ran out of the room, hair wet but in clothes-suprisingly. It appeared that she was showering while all these happened.

Suigetsu, Sakura and Sasuke looked at her briefly before ignoring her and going back into their rooms. Sakura and Sasuke went inside and locked the door. Suigetsu pushed past her and ran into the room, then locking the door.

"EHHHHHHHHHHH! OPEN THE DOOR! DAMN YOU SUIGETSU! #$#$%*#^!!" Karin screamed. Juugo, Suigetsu, Sakura and Sasuke put on ear plugs.

"WHAHAHAHA! IN YOUR FACE, LOSERR!" Suigetsu sceamed.

They were all so tired that once they went into their rooms, they crashed into their beds and fell asleep. Sasuke was saved from Persuasion this time, though he had to face the troublesome matter of **Sakura's escaping**.

Naruto and the rest of team Kakashi reported to the Hokage's office and told her about Sakura.

"GREAT. This is trouble." Tsunade slammed the table. The table broke into half.

"I KNOW!" Naruto started to cry. "Sakura-chan might be in danger!" Naruto shouted.

"I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THAT! SHE'LL BE FINE!" Tsunade snapped.

"T-then what do you mean… baa-chan?" Naruto asked, scared.

"…Sasuke and his new Team had been spotted within the area where you guys were fighting… There's a chance that Sakura might have encountered them while she was thrown." Kakashi stated, clearly worried too.

"Sakura… please be fine…" Everyone muttered, except Sai. His version was: "Ugly, hope you're fine. Otherwise, who'd be able to imagine how much uglier your face would be after an encounter with that dangerous Uchiha?"

**Me:** EH HEHEHE! Sorry sorry, nothing happened in the room-

**Sakura:** I TOLD YOU!

**Me:** I'M NOT FINISHED! *growls* Nothing happened in the room,

YET! :P

**Sakura:** WHAT THE HELL!? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

**Me:** Of course I can't tell you, otherwise it'd be a spoiler. DUH! * Gives her the 'obvious enough?' face*

**Me:** Anyway, as you can see, the previous chapter's 'dialogue' with Sakura about something happening in the room did NOT happen. Well, surprise surprise xD Its something totally different. But, well, suprises are good…right? Something will happen in the room in the next chapter! I just decided to make it more, lets say… interesting? So, Juugo, take it away!

**Juugo:** PLEASE Read, review and give ideas! Chirp Chirp! BIRDIES WAIT FOR ME!

**Sasuke:** …Hn. All you people are annoying.


	4. Chapter 4 Pretend

CHAPTER 4: Pretend?

Hellos! Sorry for long upload, it may not be long compared to others, but its really long to me): My head blanked. I think this is called Writer's block? I couldn't think of anything interesting or rather original to happen in the room. (Nothing 'dirty' cos like… they're 15 and maybe abit too young?) Maybe I couldn't think of something that could catch the reader's eye. OhWells… I'm out of ideas now and I couldn't help but update ; So, lets just let the writing _flow_ and let whatever comes up in my mind, be typed into the laptop (: Wheepee~! Thanks to readers, A LOT! I REALLY appreciate you guys. Teehee. Anyway. Here goes!

* * *

''SASUKE! SAKURA! WAKE UP!" Someone shouted from outside. Sasuke and Sakura thinking it was an emergency ran out of the room. They had not changed from their ninja clothes the previous night so it was okay to go out; Other then the fact that their clothes were ruffled and that their hair were messy.

They opened the door.

"Suigetsu! What happened?!" Sakura asked in panic.

"JUUGO! HE, HE!" Suigetsu shouted. Sakura and Sasuke widened their eyes. [Sasuke only by a teeny weeny bit.]  
"H-He went MISSING!" Suigetsu finished, as he ran about waving his hands in the air.

The thought of Juugo going around killing people in the hotel like a mad machine went through both Sasuke and Sakura's mind.

"What should we-" Sakura was about to ask when Juugo came skipping in the hotel's hallway, towards them.

Everyone except Karin who couldn't be bothered and was still having her sleep, looked at him in a you-finished-killing-everyone-in-the-hotel-already!? way.

"What?" Juugo asked.

"WHERE WERE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Suigetsu and Sakura screamed. Sasuke just seemed to expect an answer without asking.

"OH ME? I was off flying away with the birds! We had a great time flying in the skies and building nests! Did I miss something? OH! I get it… you wanted eggs… Sorry, I couldn't. They were baby chicks." Juugo said.

Sasuke, Sakura and Suigetsu looked at him in a 'what the hell' manner.

"…" Sakura showed a 'what…the…' face.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING ME WITH YOU! I've always wanted to learn how to fly!" Suigetsu asked, saddened.

"Tch…" Sasuke mumbled, his eye twitching like mad, as he walked back into the room. Sakura went in after a while. Sasuke was in the shower so she went to read her medical texts. After a good 10 minutes…

"Sakura. Pack up. We're leav-" Sasuke stopped as he went closer to the hotel windows. It was a thunderstorm.

"…" Sasuke sighed heavily.

"We'll leave tomorrow… We're still early on schedule anyway." Sasuke said as he put his stuff and katana down.

"Uh… okay." Sakura said as she continued to read her text.

"Studying medicines?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Ye- wait…since when were you the one to start conversations?" Sakura asked shocked.

"Hn."

"And what was with you yesterday? I mean you carri- nevermind. You're different, Sasuke…" Sakura said.

"…People change, Sakura; like as if you're also the same. You're a whole new person."  
"People change, Sasuke. I'm not the useless crybaby I was when I was 12. 3 years can do a lot to someone."

"I didn't mean it in THAT way…" Sasuke mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Hn. Nothing." Sasuke then went outside the room, maybe to walk around the hotel since the weather made it difficult for him to do it outside.

_**OHHHH! So you mean it in a 'Sakura-chan doesn't love me like she did last time! I want lovee! I'm sad…' sorta way! **_

_ARGH! YOU. GO AWAY!_

_**Sheesh. Ice cold as always, Sasuke. I can become you and embarrass you any time soon you know!? :D **_

_NO! do not do that. For now, GO AWAY!!!!_

_**NYAHAHAHAHAHA! **_

After an hour or _**so**_, Sakura went out of the hotel room to find something else to do.

"YO PINKY!" Suigetsu screamed as he went out of his room just at that moment.

"Oh, hey! And BOY do you remind me of Naruto a lot." Sakura greeted and then stated a fact.

"Naruto? OH the guy who used eyeliner on his cheeks. He seems nice. Suigetsu recalled and was satisfied. He had encountered Naruto alone once. They didnt know who each other was so all they did was chat.

"Yeah… I really do miss him…" Sakura said.

"But you won't go back… will you?" Suigetsu asked.

"How I wish I could be at both places I want to be at the same time… I wish to be with Naruto and the others but, this team is nice too.." Sakura said.

"EXCEPT for the fact that karin's in it." Suigetsu and Sakura added on together. They smiled to each other that they said the same thing at the same time and laughed. They chatted as they walked around the hotel.

Meanwhile…

"HEY SASUKE-KUN! WHAT A COINCIDENCE! It must be FATE that brought us together in this huge hotel!!!" Karin exclaimed.

"Hn. Right. You stalked me." Sasuke stated plainly as he ignored her.

"W-well… anyway… Lets go for lunch in the hotel! Its about time and I'm hungry!" Karin said.

"Call the rest of the team for lunch." Sasuke said, heading towards the restaurant.

"Why!? Why cant it be just the two of us!? I mean they could settle their own lunches! Instant noodles and everything! I want it to be a date!" Karin shouted

"I wouldn't go for lunch with you and there is no food in the hotel rooms. Now go and call them; Your annoying." Sasuke said, annoyed to the max.

_I should have appreciated Sakura back then when we were 12. Karin's a hundred times worse then her._

_**Sigh… Young men in love just do not know how to treasure and appreciate what they have eh??? I mean… COME ON! Only when they're gone. THEN they realize they miss them and all those crap. SHEESH!**_

_Damn it's you again… Why are you suddenly so active?!_

_**I cant stay dormant forever can I?! Now… Where was I… OHOH! So after Sasu-chan and Sakura-chan do THAT, they'll have… lets see… 3 babies. The first child…**_

_OI! DON'T THINK DIRTY AND INAPPROPRIATE THOUGHTS, and SASU-CHAN!? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!_

_**Yups… He would have all of Sasuke's features! Black hair and onyx eyes… I think he should be called Daisuke…Or maybe… Hmmm… Daisuke Uchiha… Lets stick to that. **_

_OI! YOU LISTENING TO ME!?_

_**The second one will be a girl! She'll have Sakura-chan's pink hair! And Sasu-chan's onyx eyes! Aww she'll be so cute! Hmm… Kumiko Uchiha? Man. I suck at name giving!!!**_

_TSK. GO AWAY! AND STOP CALLING ME SASU-CHAN!_

_**The third one will be a boy! He'll have Sasu-chan's black hair. And Sakura-chan's emerald eyes! Erm… Keitaro? Kosuke? HEY! KOSUKE HAS 'SUKE' INSIDE TOO, ALONG WITH DAISUKE!!! COOL! Kosuke Uchiha eh? Hmm.. Lemme think about it.**_

… _IDIOT! STOP IT!_

_**UWAHHHH! THINKING OF NAMES IS SO DIFFICULT! I guess I'll leave it to Sasu and Saku chan to think up of their names! Hmm.. Daisuke Uchiha, Kumiko Uchiha and Kosuke Uchiha. MAN, IT SOUNDS WEIRD! Oh not to forget Sakura Uchiha! AWW! HAPPY UCHIHA FAMILY! I COULD JUST PICTURE YOU ALL!**_

_Sakura… Uchiha?! Daisuke…Kumiko… Kosuke Uchiha?! WHAT THE HELL! STOP BEING HELL ACTIVE AND GET OUT OF HERE!_

_**Oh, you were talking to me?! Thinking about it ,this was the longest conversation we had! WHEEHEE~! Aw man. Here comes Karin the slut, and the rest of the lovely team! BYE! :P**_

…

"YO SASUKE MY MANN!" Suigetsu shouted as he skipped to the table Sasuke was at. He sat beside Sasuke.

"Hn… since when were WE so close?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Ohh.. SO you HAVE been loyal to Naruto! He'll be glad to hear that he's your only best friend" Sakura said as she sat opposite Sasuke, winking with a huge grin.

"Tsk…that dobe's annoying…" Sasuke replied, twitching he's eye- wondering how Naruto even got the title of "THE GREAT SASUKE UCHIHA'S BEST FRIEND".

"OH NARUTO! THAT COOL DUDE! Sakura! Can I borrow your eyeliner? I wanna try cosplaying as him!" Suigetsu interrupted.

"HUH!? Err… I don't have eyeliner… I bring kunai, not make up…" Sakura said, in embarrassment. Sasuke smirked. Suigetsu and Juugo smiled. Obviously Sakura was not the vain type.

Everyone turned to Karin.

"YOU must have one, OR two OR three OR four OR five OR a gazillion sets of eyeliners right?" Suigetsu asked, as POLITELY as he could.

"I WOULDN'T LEND THEM TO A FISH! AND I ONLYY HAVE 57 OKAY!?"

"57… Did you even pack weapons?!" Sakura asked, annoyed.

"Come on, just ONE?! SASUKE WILL KISS YOUR HAND IF YOU LEND ME ONE!" Suigetsu pleaded.

Suigetsu got punched by an annoyed Sasuke- Who clearly doesn't want to kiss Karin's hand.

"Kissed? By the Great Uchiha Sasuke?! OKAY!" Karin said in Joy.

"NO." Sasuke said firmly. The food arrived and they ate.

"Don't worry Suigetsu, I'll buy you one! Since Sasuke over there wasn't willing to help." Sakura smiled.

"Hn… who'd want to kiss someone for eyeliner..." Sasuke mumbled.

_**Yeah… I'd rather save the kiss for Sakura-chan TOO!**_

_What do you mean by 'TOO'?!_

_**Aww… slow minded…**_

Sasuke ate and argued with himself.

"I better get going. I don't wanna miss flying with the birds" Juugo said as he got up.

" HEYY! CAN I COME WITH!?" Suigetsu asked enthusiastically.

"NEVERR! Go swim with the fishes!" Juugo said as he skipped away.

"Not in this weather… AHH!" Suigetsu came up with a brilliant idea.

"Oh no…" Sasuke groaned.

"HOT SPRINGS!!! SAKURA! LETS GO TO THE HOT SPRINGS!" Suigetsu scream in enthusiasm.

"HEY YEAH! THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! Though we'll be alone cos we're male and female…" Sakura sighed.

"WE CAN ASK SASUKE AND KARIN TO COME WITH! That is, if you don't mind Karin… Man… if only we were of the same gender. It would be fun playing with you in there." Suigetsu replied.

"Yeah… Oh well… So its settled." Sakura smiled.

Sasuke was LITERALLY dragged into going. Karin went because Sasuke was going, and because she had a plan in mind. Sakura was pulling Sasuke with ease, thanks to her superhuman strength.

"I said I DIDN'T want to go. Don't make me electrocute you." Sasuke said while being pulled by Sakura.

(A/N HAHA Electrocute her xD Sasuke saying that just makes me crack up laughing.)

"Oh. So now you plan on using your chidori on a whole different level eh? Quote by Kakashi 'I taught you Chidori NOT to use it on your teammates but to protect them with it'." Sakura replied.

"Argh…" Sasuke groaned.

"STOP TOUCHING MY SASUKE!" Karin screamed.

"Since when was he yours!?"Sakura argues with Karin while pulling Sasuke.

"SINCE I FIRST-"

"Sheesh. Quit it, Karin… How irritating." Suigetsu answered while still skipping towards the hot springs.

Karin then ran up to him and argued with him.

"How do you survive with them?" Sakura sighed.

"Hn… Who knows." Sasuke replied plainly.

"Even Naruto and Kakashi weren't that bad…" Sakura trailed off.

"You can stop pulling me. I'm going already." Sasuke said, as Sakura let go of him.

"Good… Last thing I remembered was you not being the sociable type." Sakura said as she continued walking beside him.

"…" Sasuke continued walking with her, making no signs of him not wanting her presence.

_**Nice walking with sakura-chan huh?**_

…_._

"We're here!" Sakura shouted in joy, interrupting Sasuke's battle with Inner sasuke.

* * *

Back to Naruto and the gang. They were in Tsunade's office, AGAIN.

"BAAA CHANN! WE NEED TO SEND SEARCH GROUPS TO SEARCH FOR SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Not NOW! SHIZUNE! PASS ME MY SAKE!" Tsunade screamed as she gulped down her sake.

"We have to wait for news from the ANBU who Is trying to find information about it!" Tsunade screamed.

"If Sakura-chan is with Sasuke though, I'll rest assure…" Naruto mumbled, but was heard by Tsunade.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!? THAT UCHIHA'S PURE EVIL. HE'S OROCHIMARU'S STUDENT FOR GOD'S SAKE! HE'S NOT THE SASUKE YOU KNEW ANYMORE!" Tsunade screamed at Naruto.

"He even tried to kill you during your previous encounter with him, while you were with Yamato, Sai and Sakura." Kakashi added in.

Naruto's face saddened.

"He may not be the Sasuke we knew anymore, and he may have tried to kill me… But I know he wouldn't kill Sakura-chan." Naruto said firmly and in a serious tone.

Everyone widened their eyes. Sasuke wouldn't kill Sakura, but would kill Naruto? What was Naruto implying? Naruto's cryptic words made everyone sit back and think about the relationship between Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.

"During the encounter, when Sai and Naruto were knocked out, Sakura charged towards him. He also charged towards her with his katana, if it weren't for me, Sakura would have been wounded…" Yamato said.

"I thought Uchiha thought Ugly was annoying." Sai said softly.

"But… at that moment of time, Sasuke had his Sharingan on… So he should have been able to see Yamato taking the attack in her place…" Naruto said softly.

"So he knew he wouldn't hurt Sakura, but gave us the idea that he would have? It was all… **pretend**?" Kakashi asked.

"Do they call this… love?" Sai asked curiously.

Everyone was silenced. _Love… eh? After all those things he did to her…_

* * *

"Karin… are you gonna head into the hot springs now?" Sakura asked her company.

"Not yet, you slut! Go in yourself!" Karin said at her in a mean tone.

"We could always go together you know? I mean… we're a team…" Sakura said, annoyed that her team member disliked her.

"Sheesh. Like as if. You think WE'RE a team? This situation is considered as Team Hebi AND Sakura Haruno. You're not counted as someone in the TEAM!" Karin said as she stomped away.

Sakura widened her eyes at the impact of Karin's words.

_We're… not a team… eh? Where's the team spirit… I miss the old Team 7…_

_**Yeah… With Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke…**_

_Yeah… and Sasuke… But I like this Team too… I just don't know why I don't feel like I belong to this team…_

_**Except for the fact that Suigetsu's a sweetheart.**_

_Hah. Yeah. Sasuke doesn't even make me feel welcomed in the team… He's just being his old self. _

_**He claimed he changed. **_

_To me, its only a little… _

Sakura went into the hot springs, alone.

She soaked in the hot water for quite awhile, as she watched another group of girls around her age talking and laughing together in the water.

_Thinking about it… I really miss Ino and the rest of the girls…_

_**This decision of staying with Team Hebi has made you lose twice as much as what you gained huh?**_

_Yeah…_

Sakura thought to herself about the many memories she shared with her friends in Konoha…

_-Naruto having ramen with her in the ramen stand- he finished 7 whole bowls!!!_

_-Ten Ten teaching her about weapon aiming._

_-Her telling Hinata that she had to stop being so shy and confess to Naruto already- Clearly, Naruto was VERY slow._

_-Ino and her competing because of their rivalry about really, funny things… And her fashion tips…_

_-Neji blushing when she asked him how Ten Ten and him were._

_-Shikamaru, the lazy ass, but sweet guy._

_-Rock Lee, the one with no fashion sense, but clearly a heart of gold.._

_-Kiba laughing when Akamaru accidentally peed on her shoes._

_-Shino, the quiet insect guy._

_-Choji, who shared chips with her when she was hungry._

_-Kakashi, the perverted but great sensei._

_- Sai… the pain in the ass. But still, he cared and was trustworthy._

_-Yamato, also for caring, and being a great leader of Team Kakashi._

_- Tsunade, her strict but caring mentor… She really changed Sakura's life. She made her… useful._

Sakura dazed off as she thought about these memories.

(A/N Sorry if I left out anyone D:)

* * *

"Sigh. Wonder how pinky's doing with the slut!" Suigetsu wondered out loud.

"… Actually… I honestly doubt Karin is even with her." Sasuke said, thinking about the relationship between his two female teammates.

"WHAT?! Man… Poor Pinky… There all alone… Wait. Its about time we met her outside now right?" Suigetsu pitied Sakura, but was looking forward to seeing her again.

"Hn… Yeah. Lets go." Sasuke said as he got up and went to put his robe on around the locker area.

Suigetsu followed and put on his robe as he went out with a bag of his clothes.

* * *

Sakura glanced around and asked someone with a watch for the time. It appeared that it was time to meet the guys. She got up and went to the locker area and put on her robe. Just as she was going to take her bag of clothes, something caused her world to spin.

_**SAKURA! WHAT'S WRONG!? HEY! Why is it so dark!? **_

With that, Sakura lost consciousness. The last thing she felt was a stinging pain on her back, and someone saying

"HAH. Bitch. Look how helpless she looks! HAHAHA!"

* * *

Its been half an hour.  
"Hey… what happened to Pinky… I mean, is she always late? Or rather is she always this late?" Suigetsu asked Sasuke.

"She… never IS late… She's Sakura; She's never late. Not even for a minute…" Sasuke said, as he had a worried look on his once impassive face.

"Where's Karin? She should be able to help us check it out… Since she's not with Sakura." Suigetsu became serious, which shocked Sasuke.

"HEYY GUYS!" As if on cue, Karin came running towards them.

"Karin. Where's Sakura?" Sasuke asked her firmly.

"Why would I know? I was not with her… Come on! Lets pack our stuff and go! We needn't stay here anymore, right?" Karin said, trying to change the subject.

"Karin, go in and look for her." Suigetsu asked her politely.

"WHY SHOULD I!?" Karin retorted.

"DAMN IT ITS BECAUSE ONLY YOU ARE ALLOWED IN THERE!" Suigetsu screamed. This was the angriest Sasuke and Karin had seen him.

"Something could have happened to her. Go." Sasuke said.

"Hey… Do you think we should have asked someone for help when we saw that girl unconscious on the floor?" A girl walking out of the hot springs with her friend asked.

"Nah… I mean, it'll only bring trouble. Right?" Her friend replied.

Sasuke and Suigetsu widened their eyes as they heard the conversation the two girls were having while exiting the hot springs. It could have been... Sakura... Sasuke ran towards them and grabbed one of them by the shoulders.

"Tell me! How did she look like!?" Sasuke asked, shaking her frantically. The girl blushed at the thought that a hot guy was touching her.

"P-pink hair and green eyes- that is, when we saw her before she fainted..." She replied. Sasuke let go of her as he widened his eyes. How many girls in Japan would have pink hair and green eyes!? Karin obviously was not willing to go in there, so without a second thought, he ran into the female hot springs.

"HEY SASUKE! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! WE'RE GUYS! WE'RE NOT ALLOWED IN THERE!"

"Like I bloody care!" Sasuke mumbled as he ran around the female hot springs. He completely blocked out the fact that there were many females there that were blushing about the fact that a hunk was in the FEMALE hot springs and that they were actually naked. His only focus was… _Sakura. Sakura. SAKURA._

Suddenly, there was a whole crowd of women, obviously in their robes, crowding around something and whispering hushed murmurs. Sasuke knew that it was definitely Sakura. He ran towards the place, which was the locker area, and pushed past all the women in his way.

He stopped only to be in front Sakura in her robe, lying on the floor, unconscious. He widened his eyes In shock. "Why didn't ANY of you call for help, HUH!?" He turned and asked all the women, who looked away in shame. "WHO DID THIS TO HER?!" He asked madly. "W-we don't know… We only know that the women that hit her with a bat had red hair… W-we… were threatened by her…" One of the women said.

"Karin." He muttered under his breath. Boy he was pissed. He bent down and picked up Sakura in his hands- bridal style.

_That bitch would even go THIS low to get rid of Sakura…_

He thought to himself as he carried Sakura out of the Hot springs.

He passed by Suigetsu without a word, until Suigetsu asked him frantically about what happened. After Sasuke explained, Suigetsu was DARN IT MAD and shocked that his great buddy was unconscious because she was hit by someone, with RED HAIR. He turned to Karin and punched her in the face. No one had seen this funny natured guy this pissed before. "YOU'RE SUCH A BITCH! WHAT DID SAKURA EVER DO TO YOU!?" He continued to walk with Sasuke, leaving Karin behind. Sasuke had decided to deal with her later. His only concern was bringing Sakura to the room to rest.

"WHAT!? YOU'RE TREATING YOUR TEAMMATE LIKE THIS FOR HER!?" Karin screamed. She was ignored, cursed at and locked out of the room again by a very mad Suigetsu.

* * *

Me: How was it? I received a friendly suggestion saying I should make my stories longer, so I actually made it twice as long. Thats why i took longer to update, too. Was that taking it overboard? I hope not :X Thanks for the suggestion anyway- its appreciated ;) Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!

Sakura: W-what happened?

Suigetsu: Well I'll tell you what happened! Karin-

Hinata: E-Excuse me… Hitomi- san…

Me: HUH?! Hinata!? What are YOU doing here?! Wasn't Naruto supposed to be the guest star to say the 'line'?!

Hinata: W-well… A-About that…

*Hinata passes me the note.*

It read...

* * *

YO! TODAY, ICHIRAKU RAMEN'S GIVING OUT FREE

RAMEN! SO I DECIDED TO SKIP OUT ON THIS THING AND

GO FOR IT! WHAHAHA! RAMEN-CHAN! HERE I COME!

The AWESOME Naruto

* * *

Me: … YOU'RE GONNA PAY! NOW who's gonna do it!?

Hinata: E-erm… Hitomi-san… I can do it…

Me: Sigh. Okay, fine. Here, read out of this paper.

Hinata: S-sure… P-please read, review and give ideas…

Me: YUP! Naruto's gonna get it. :]

* * *

By the way! I found out what my name meant! I actually forgot the meaning of it. But after much trouble, I remembered it.

Hitomi- Beautiful Virtue (whatever it means)

Junko- Pure, Obedient. (nodnod.)

**SAN Q~!!! Thank you for reading! ;D I'm really happy i finally got this chapter up and now its off my back! **


	5. Chapter 5 Loved Ones

Chapter 5: Loved ones.

Heyya! (: I'm back! Not saying that I was gone though… Anyhows, sorry it took me darn it long to upload! Wow. This should be my most frequently used line. SORRY! T-T I'll try my best to buck up! :D A HUGE SORRY that there's been a drop of words. From 4000+ words to 2000+ words. GOMEN! REALLY SORRY! I just thought i'd end the story at that point so it'd seem much more... Can't find the right word. I'm just sorry, and i'll try my best. Arigato! Anyhows, Here goes!

* * *

"SAKURA!"

_Naruto? No… he would be screaming "SAKURA-CHAN! HOW ARE YOU!?" Across the hospital… So its Suigetsu huh… _Sakura thought to herself as she opened her eyes.

As she regained consciousness, she was greeted by three pairs of concerned filled eyes, and one pair of… annoyed eyes-Karin.

"YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE! YAY! HOW YOU FEELING?!" Suigetsu asked. Sakura scanned the room. She was in the room she and Sasuke shared. Suigetsu was sitted at the left side of her bed, now standing. Sasuke was sitted at the right side of her bed, still sitted. Juugo was standing beside Suigetsu . Karin was leaning on the wall opposite her bed.

Sakura sat up. "I'm fine…" she said. Suigetsu heaved a HUGE sigh of relief. Juugo seemed to have rushed back to the hotel, hearing that Sakura was unconscious. Sasuke 'hn'ed and turned to Karin.

"Yes? Sasuke Kun?" Karin asked seductively, thinking Sasuke was attracted to her.

"Apologise." Sasuke said bluntly.

"WHAT?! WHY DO I HAVE TO APOLOGISE TO THAT BITCH!?" Karin screamed.

"You knocked her unconscious for your own selfish reasons!" Suigetsu replied.

"YOU were the one?! Ouch." Sakura said with sarcasm, disappointed that her own team mate was the one who knocked her out.

"ARGH." Karin stomped out of the room. Everyone sighed loudly.

"Sakura. Are you feeling good enough to head out?" Sasuke asked, hiding the 'In-a-concerned-way' part.

"Yeah… I guess." Sakura said.

"Hn… rest abit more. We'll head out tomorrow morning." Sasuke said, closing the conversation as he went for one of his walks. Suigetsu and Juugo left the room soon after talking to Sakura about random stuff to let her rest.

_Sigh… Although Suigetsu really reminds me of Naruto… He doesn't exactly act like him… I mean… I always have a chance to smack or punch Naruto because of his weird or dirty thoughts. But Suigetsu? No… He doesn't even call me 'Sakura-chan' like Naruto does… _

_**Arent you being unfair? Comparing Suigetsu and Naruto?**_

_W-well… yeah… sorry… Its just that I'm REALLY homesick. Sometimes I wish that I never made this decision. I sorta miss that Sai of an Ass now too. Yamato and Kakashi are not forgotten too._

_**I DON'T MISS SAI THE ASS AT ALL! (: Sigh… What's done is done. Oh Sasu-chan's coming in… bye.**_

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and stared at Sasuke as he came back into the room. Sasuke paid no attention or rather didn't care that she was staring and just walked past her and lay down on his bed, hands behind his head on the pillow- like Naruto's usual pose.

"Say…Sasuke…" Sakura started the awkward conversation.

"…" Sasuke didn't say anything , and closed his eyes, though he was actually engaged and listening to Sakura.

"You see… You might have seen this coming… I wanted to ask you… I mean…" Sakura was really unsure of how she should phrase her question, in a way that Sasuke won't get annoyed at.

"Just say it." Sasuke said bluntly.

"I know … that killing Itachi is your life's goal… And that none of us could actually stop you. So… We'd let you do that… But… We were wondering if you would come back to Konoha after that…" Sakura asked Nervously. Both Sakura and Sasuke knew very well that 'we' referred to Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi and the others.

"…" Sasuke didn't want to answer that question.

"Sasuke?"

"…I don't know." Sasuke replied reluctantly.

"But why? You going to Orochimaru was ALREADY bad enough! Now that you've killed him, you should be going back to Konoha, but you still have your revenge quest. And we're letting you do that! PLEASE come back after that! Once Itachi's out of your life, you should begin to actually LIVE your life…" Sakura snapped, desperate to win Sasuke back.

"What do you know?" Sasuke asked, sitting up and glaring at Sakura.

"Enough to know that you should be coming back to Konoha this instant and that I'm supposed to kill you because you're classified as a missing-nin! WE'RE ALREADY WILLING TO BEG THE KONOHA ELDERS TO TAKE YOU BACK! What more do you WANT?!" Sakura was getting mad now, oh yeah she was.

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke screamed before walking out of the hotel room and slamming the door behind him.

Sakura cried. _What else does Sasuke want?! I was actually SUPPOSED to beg him to go back to Konoha THIS INSTANT, and not allow him to go kill his brother! Naruto would be fuming mad! But… that's what Sasuke wants… But after Sasuke does accomplish that, what would he do? Go around killing people he feels like killing? Wander around aimlessly? Or… destroy Konoha? He obviously should go back to Konoha… That's his real HOME._

* * *

Sasuke had no idea to why he actually screamed at Sakura.

He thought to himself. This question did not ever cross his mind. 'What would I do after killing Itachi?' Itachi was his only goal in life. Nothing else. He didn't think about what to do with his life once that goal was out of it. Get married; NEVER thought about it. He never showed extra interest towards girls before… Being single forever? Noooo… He wanted to restore his bloody clan. How else on earth would he do that, huh? Go around raping women so that he would have a new enormous clan? He wouldn't go that low. And here comes Sakura, asking him the question he did not have an answer for. What WOULD he do? He walked around aimlessly thinking about it.

_**You were SO mean to Sakura-chan… I mean, who shouts at their FIANCEE like that?!**_

_Tch. SHE'S NOT MY FIANCEE. _

_**Hmph. Wanna bet?**_

_Argh. Just leave me alone._

* * *

"Sir! All troupes have headed out! We have captured the scent of Sasuke at various locations. He is probably trying to trick us. We sent troupes to go to all those locations so that we wouldn't miss him!"

An evil menacing laugh is heard.

"Oh… Sasuke-KUN… You're gonna pay for what you did… You'll never be forgiven by all of us… Besides, you betrayed us and took away our most precious thing, or rather… person. YOU'RE DISMISSED! And remember your mission, take his friend."

"HAI, KABUTO SAMA!"

* * *

After a few hours, Sakura was still in the room reading her medical text yet again. How did she fit that book into her pouch anyway?! Suddenly there was a loud thud on the door.

"That must be Suigetsu." Sakura said to herself while smiling that she would have company. She didn't think twice and just opened the door, with a smile plastered on her face.

She looked up at the person who knocked on the door, and widened her eyes. Her Smile dropped.

"Y-you're not Suigetsu…" Sakura said, before being knocked out and carried away.

* * *

Sasuke went back to the hotel room, after much debating with Inner Sasuke. He was about to open the door, only to realize that it was already open. _Did I close the door just now? But even if I didn't, Sakura would have closed it._ He thought to himself. Sakura was responsible. She wouldn't leave the door WIDE open like that. He ran inside. Sakura was nowhere to be seen. THEN, he got worried. Otherwise he would have just given Sakura a scolding. If she went out, she would have closed the door. That's just logic for Sasuke. He ran next door where suigetsu and Karin's room were. He knocked on the door HARD and Knocked CONTINUOUSLY.

"WHA- Oh heyyy Sasuke-kun!" Karin answered the door.

"Where's Sakura" He stated his purpose.

"I thought the bitch was in her room?" Karin said. Sasuke pushed past her and went over to Suigetsu who was on his bed resting.

"Oh hey Sasuke. What's up?" Suigetsu greeted.

"Where's Sakura." He asked urgently.

"I thought she was in her room? I heard the door open, then it never closed. So I thought she just forgot to close it." Suigetsu told Sasuke all that he knew. _The door opened, then it didn't close? Shit. Something happened. Sakura's responsible enough to at least close the door._

"Pack your stuff. Something happened to Sakura." Sasuke said as he ran out of the room, going into his own to gather his and Sakura's stuff.

"WHAT?! WHY?! OKAY OKAY WE'LL PACK!" Suigetsu screamed.

Everyone started packing. Karin didn't want to go but was dragged along. Sasuke put his katana in place behind his back and took Sakura's pouch along. They were leaving the hotel.

They quickly told the manager who was along the hallway that they were leaving, throwing their keys at him. They then ran out to the forest area and started jumping from tree to tree.

"Karin! Pinpoint her location!" Sasuke ordered.

"Hai!" Karin followed his orders and focused to find Sakura.

"Sasuke! Who took her?!" Suigetsu and Juugo asked.

"…"

Sasuke thought about it… Then… SNAP. He figured it out.

* * *

_Flashback._

After Orochimaru tried to take over his body, and Sasuke won, he went out of the room, only to see Kabuto.

"W-which one are you? The technique should have been finished by now… So… Orochimaru or Sasuke?" Kabuto asked, terrified.

"Which one do you think?" Sasuke smirked.

"Sasuke-kun!?" Kabuto was shocked. This never happened before.

Sasuke walked away, planning to abandon the sound now.

"SASUKE! YOU WONT GET AWAY WITH THIS! WE WILL KILL YOU! YOU'D BE CLASSIFIED AS A S-CLASS CRIMINAL IN THE SOUND! SO YOU'LL BE WANTED! WATCH YOUR BACK, BECAUSE WE'LL DO ANYTHING JUST TO GET REVENGE! EVEN IF IT MEANS GETTING YOUR LOVED ONES!" Kabuto screamed, warning Sasuke about the consequences he had to face for killing their precious master, Orochimaru.

Sasuke smirked and walked away, after mumbling, "**Loved ones**. Tch, like as if I have even one."

_End of Flashback_

* * *

"The sound." Sasuke replied. _Shit… Damn you, Kabuto._

"Wha-" Suigetsu was going to ask about what Sasuke meant, but Karin interrupted.

"Sasuke-Kun… I found her…" Karin said unwillingly.

"Where." Sasuke asked.  
"Why should I say it… I mean… Can't we just abandon her?! She's not needed in our team anyway…Why are we saving her?!" Karin argued.

"DUH! ITS BECAUSE SHE'S OUR FRIEND, AND TEAMMATE, YOU IDIOT!" Suigetsu answered in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

Everyone stopped in their tracks. Sasuke walked over to Karin and grabbed her by the collar.

"Where. Is. She." He ordered, glaring at Karin. Karin would have blushed or fainted because Sasuke was so close to her, and holding her, but the look on Sasuke's face made Karin terrified. Pure Anger. Sure, Sasuke was the type to get angry a lot, but this was of a whole different level and aura.

"S-she's A-at… A-About 600-700 metres to the E-East…" Karin stuttered.

"We have to hurry. Many birds are flying away from the East. That means that they must have smelled Blood." Juugo warned.

Sasuke widened his eyes. "LET'S GO." He ordered. Everyone headed towards that direction as fast as they could. _Sakura… hold on._

* * *

Sakura wakes up. "W-where am I?" She mumbled. She looked around the room. It was very dirty and filled with cobwebs. There was nothing In the room, except for the chair she was tied to. She realized she had a huge cut on her arm, from the tightness of the rope. "Hmph, like as if this could hold me down" Sakura smirked. She actually felt weak, but thought that it was fatigue. She forced chakra to her hands, to cut the rope free- thanks to her superhuman strength, but was shocked when she couldn't. She struggled and struggled, but couldn't get out of the chair's grip. _I have super strength! Why in the hell cant I cut this piece of thin rope?!_

"There's no point, Sakura-san…" An evil voice of which Sakura was too familiar with came out.

Sakura gasped as a figure came out of the shadows.

"Kabuto." She seethed.

"Oh, what a pleasant reunion…I would have never guessed that you'd have joined Sasuke's team hebi. " He mocked her. Sakura shot him a glare and continued struggling to get out of the rope's grasps.

"Like I said, there's no point. I injected a liquid into you that would drain your chakra. I also figured you'd still be able to cut the 'rope', so I used chakra strings. Smart, huh." Kabuto said as he laughed.

"I'LL GET OUT OF THIS MESS." Sakura shouted.

"Hmph, you've got no chance. Let's wait till Sasuke-kun comes, shall we?"

Kabuto smirked as he began to walk out.

"HOLD ON YOU BASTARD! WHAT'D YOU WANT WITH SASUKE!?" Sakura growled.

"Oh… you want to know, don't you? And what happened to the suffix? Why don't you call him Sasuke-kun anymore? Hmm?" Kabuto said as he walked around her in circles.

"ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, YOU JERK! ANSWER M-"

Kabuto kicked Sakura on the stomach, causing the chair to topple over and land Sakura on the ground, with the chair. Sakura's head hit the stone cold floor, causing her to begin to slip into unconsciousness.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun's gonna enjoy this…" was all Sakura heard, before she blacked out.

* * *

Me: Ohayo! I realize Sakura-chan's always the victim): Sorry, Naruto and the rest weren't mentioned in this chapter): I'm missing the knucklehead.

Naruto: YOU SEE! WHAHAHA! I'M SO LOVABLE, EVEN THIS BAA-CHAN OVER HERE MISSES ME!

Me: NARUTO! –punches- DON'T CALL ME BAA-CHAN AND your LATE. AGAIN.

Naruto: OUCH! BAA- I mean… Aheh heh… Hitomi-chan! I know I'm late, but let's just get this done with! I'm a busy man you know!

Sai: I bet dickless just wants to eat Ramen.

Naruto: SAI! YOU- YOU!!

Me: QUIET! Naruto say the line! SAI, GET OUT!

Sai: Fine Fine…

Naruto: YO! PLEASE READ,REVIEW, AND GIVE IDEAS! AND FEEL FREE GIVE ME RAMEN TOO!

Me: BAKA! –punches, again- That last part wasn't in the script.


	6. Chapter 6 Pain and Torture

Chapter 6- Pain and Torture.

Hello! :D I updated! WHEE! Anyway… I hope the reviewers would actually be able to understand what I am ACTUALLY saying in this chapter, because it might get complicated. THANKS SO MUCH for reviewers who stuck with me ;) I Really Appreciate it. If it weren't for you guys I would not even be updating this story. In a way, that's great. (: By the way, I actually increased the words back to 4000+. Anyhow, ENJOY!

* * *

"Sasuke-kun! There! That old warehouse there! Can you see it?!" Karin asked.

"Is she there?!" Sasuke asked back.

"YES!"_ No… I'm just lying._

"Okay, raise your speed! We've got to hurry!" Sasuke alerted his team.

"HAI!" Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin saluted.

* * *

Sakura woke up yet again only to witness Kabuto setting a trap that was meant for Sasuke. It involved Sasuke tripping over a wire if he entered the door and the wire caused chakra strings to wrap whatever(or in this case whoever) tripped over the wire. That way, Sasuke would be tied up by chakra strings.

Sakura smirked "Like as if a simple trap like that would fool Sasuke. Do you think he's that stupid?!"

Kabuto turned to her, realising she was awake.

"Oh… Sakura-san. Have you ever heard of the saying 'one can be blinded by love'? Because I think it really suits the outcome of this trap." Kabuto laughed. Sakura was annoyed because she could not understand Kabuto's cryptic words.

* * *

Sasuke pushed open the door of the warehouse with great force.

"SAKURA!" He screamed.

To his dismay, Sakura wasn't there. He could not feel her presence or chakra anywhere too. To be on the safe side, he ran around the whole warehouse, searching for any traces of Sakura- because the captor might have masked her chakra to trick him. After 10 long minutes of searching the vicinity, he gave up, knowing that Sakura wasn't there. Angered, he ran to where his team was and grabbed Karin by the collar (again). He turned his Sharingan on, and the black comas in his red pupils began spinning wildly.

"KARIN! STOP MESSING WITH ME! WHERE IS SHE!?" Sasuke screamed. Karin was scared out of her wits.

_I guess fooling Sasuke-kun about Sakura's whereabouts wouldn't work… I lied to him about this place. Sakura isn't even here, and I know it. But like as if I would tell Sasuke-kun where she is. In that way, we'll find her and she'll be back in Team Hebi again. I wouldn't want that bitch to come back. _Karin thought to herself.

Karin decided to be stubborn and said "I won't tell you."

Sasuke, being the impatient man he was, pushed her off. He stormed about the warehouse.

"KARIN! WE NEED TO SAVE SAKURA! STOP BEING AN ASS AND TELL US WHERE SHE IS ALREADY!!!"' Suigetsu snapped.

"WHY SHOULD WE!? SASUKE-KUN! I DON'T GET WHY YOU'RE GETTING SO WORKED UP! I MEAN, SHE'S JUST A BLOODY GIRL ; WHY SHOULD YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT HER?!" Karin demanded an answer.

Sasuke widened his eyes in realization. Why? Why did he care about this certain girl so much? Even if acquaintances were added to his team for the time being, he wouldn't care that much about them, or their lives. _I-its because she was my ex comrade, nothing else…_

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and ran out of the warehouse.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" Suigetsu and Juugo screamed, asking.

"I'M FINDING SAKURA!" Sasuke shouted back, leaving his teammates behind trying to catch up with him- though it was obviously efforts gone to waste because Sasuke was too fast. The rest of the team were way behind him, so it would take time before they finally caught up with him.  
"And how is he gonna do that?" Juugo asked

"Well… I guess he'd have his ways… he's Sasuke, after all…" Suigetsu answered.

* * *

Sasuke had absolutely NO idea on how he was supposed to find his pink haired teammate.

_Shit… What should I do?!_

Just when he was about to turn around and wait for his team to catch up, something shiny caught his eye. As he went closer, he realized it was metal, and the sun was reflecting light on it. He bent down, only to finally notice that it was a konoha head band. The cloth that supported the Metal Leaf Village Sign was Red. His eyes widened. _This is Sakura's!_ He was relieved, that there was finally a clue to where she was. The Konoha head band was pointing to the North, confirming that Sakura's captors brought her that way. Sasuke picked the head band up, and clutched it in his hand as he rushed towards the north, where he saw a warehouse. His eyes widened with hope. _That MUST be the one! Sakura MUST be there!_ he picked up his pace.

* * *

Sakura lay down on the floor helpless- tied to the chair. Kabuto kicked her down, remember? _Sasuke… where are you? Or are you even coming? Maybe he's still mad at me, I mean he SCREAMED at me today… I should just give hope up… He's not co-_

"SAKURA!" As if on cue, Sasuke burst through the door. Sakura wanted to ask him how he found her and all those other questions but was more focused on the wire that he was going to trip on.

"SASUKE! LOOK OU-" Before Sakura could warn him, Sasuke tripped on the wire and got wrapped in chakra strings. Kabuto then ran in and injected a liquid- supposed to drain out his chakra.

"SHIT!" Sasuke cursed out loud.

_That's not like Sasuke… why was he so… distracted!? He should have seen that coming…_

Sasuke looked up to meet a malicious glare of Kabuto.

"Kabuto." Sasuke seethed in pure anger and hatred.

"My, my Sasuke-kun. Long time no see. How have you-" Kabuto got interrupted by a very angry Sasuke.

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET HER GO." Sasuke shouted, lying on the floor, struggling to get out of the chakra strings because he had his chakra drained out.

"Why, than the plan won't work." Kabuto laughed.

"What plan?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Oh, you want a demo before it really happens? Sure, I'd be PLEASURED." Kabuto said, as he walked towards Sakura

"W-what do you-" Sakura was cut off when Kabuto went over to her and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to cough out blood and wince in pain.

"KABUTO YOU ASS! STOP IT." Sasuke screamed in rage.

"Why, in case you don't know. You killed our Master. So, in return, we will kill your loved one Right In Front of You by torturing her slowly, and painfully." Kabuto said as he put one of his foot on Sakura's head, causing her to wince in pain again. "DON'T TOUCH HER!" Sasuke screamed, very angry with Kabuto's treatment towards Sakura. Kabuto turned Sakura's head towards him, and he bent down.

"Sakura-san, I really did not expect to have to hurt YOU, but, I've got no choice have I? Besides, you are Sasuke's friend. Or may I say, loved one." Kabuto smirked

"I'm only his alliance you Jerk! If you're talking about loved one, it doesn't exist in Sasuke's dictionary anymore, so go do your revenge plan in another way." Sakura growled. Sasuke's eyes widened. 'Loved one' doesn't exist in his dictionary anymore?! His eyes narrowed.

_**Lets explain a few things shall we, Sasuke? On why you are so bothered that Sakura-chan said you didn't have a loved one? **_

_Tch…_

_**Or why you dashed here like some crazy maniac when you're usually so calm and composed? Even when Karin got kidnapped the other time, you remained impassive and went to save her like it was just some mission. But Sakura-chan? NOOO, you erupted. You even fell for the simple trap Kabuto set.**_

…

_**Puh-lease. Sasuke. Fine. There's no time to think about this now. Hurry and save Sakura-chan. You won't want her to DIE in front of you, would you?**_

_I'm getting on with it, JERK. How am I supposed to do that without CHAKRA and when I'm tied to freaking CHAKRA STRINGS!? HUH?_

_**Oh… Ouch… You would have too wait till you recover abit first then… You aren't planning on going on your Curse Level 2 are you!? Its dangerous**_

_THAT'S RIGHT! Why didn't I think of that!?_

_**SASUKE;DON'T! IF YOU WANT SAKURA TO LIVE, DON'T DO IT. Kabuto obviously knows you have the curse mark, so he OBVIOUSLY planned something. THINK STRAIGHT FOR NOW, AND CALM DOWN, will you!? You're not yourself! What happened to your composure?!**_

_Tch… than what now!?_

_**You'll have no choice. You have to wait for the rest of Team Hebi to find you. Or, for Sakura's chakra to come back.**_

_Shit… With Kabuto being the mastermind now, I've got all reasons to worry._

"Sasuke-kun! Why why, you went into a trance did you? I can't believe you still can daydream when you're in a situation like this." Kabuto said, as a menacing laugh was heard from him

"Tch…" Sasuke felt useless for not being able to do anything.

"Well, the REAL fun is going to start… NOW." Kabuto said. Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened. Kabuto walked over to Sakura and started kicking her on her stomach multiple times, her still being tied to the chair and lying on the floor. Sakura winced in pain and loss more blood. They heard a snap. Sakura's ribcage broke. Sasuke was in so much panic and pain and began screaming for him to stop, as he tried wriggling (A/N like a worm xP What!? OOC but he's despo!) over to Sakura. Kabuto noticed this and called for the other Sound nin to come in, and to hold Sasuke in place.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sasuke screamed as the sound nin pushed him to the wall, holding him in place to watch the terrible scene. Sakura tried her best not to cry or give out any signs that she was in pain.  
"I-its okay, Sasuke, I'm fine." Sakura said, as she forced her pained bloodied face a smile. Sasuke could feel his heart breaking at that sight.

"Well, Sakura-san, I respect you for that. But still, that smile of yours would turn into a huge frown when I'm done with you!" Kabuto shouted.

He took out a kunai. Sasuke's eyes were filled with panic.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! STAB ME IF YOU HAVE TO, DON'T GO NEAR HER! ITS ENOUGH!" Sasuke Screamed. Kabuto laughed.  
"Oooh… Sasuke-kun… But this is only the beginning." Kabuto smirked.

He slashed the kunai at Sakura's shoulder, followed by uncountable slashes on her arms and legs and threw the kunai onto her thigh and another one on her arm. Sakura screamed in pain. Unwanted tears began flowing down her eyes. Sasuke could only watch the scene in horror and pain. _Stop it…_ Kabuto used his foot to kick her back hard. "G-AHH!" Sakura was in a lot of pain and bit her lip because of the scream that came our of her unwantedly. She didn't want to look pathetic in front of Sasuke. She wanted to stop being a crybaby. Kabuto kicked her face on the spot. _Stop it… _Kabuto held her by her neck and pulled her off the ground, her still being tied to the chair, and threw her violently down to the floor. "Ghh-Gh" Sakura bit her lip hard, SO hard that blood came out. She bit her lip to cease herself from screaming out loud in pain, in front of Sasuke. _Stop it... _Sasuke's tears were on the verge of falling. _STOP IT!_

"KABUTO YOU BASTARD! STOP IT!" Sasuke screamed, tears rolling down. What pained his heart was not only Sakura going through **pain and torture**, but also the fact that she was forcing herself not to cry out in pain, in front of HIM. Sakura's eyes were half lidded. The room was blurry. She tried her best not to slip out of consciousness because she still had a plan.

"Hmm, Sakura-san, you seem not to be paying full attention. Perhaps I should give you a break first. THEN we'll start the second part, and the third part, and everything, until you die a slow and painful death." Kabuto laughed maliciously and the sound ninja let go of Sasuke as they followed Kabuto out of the room. They were confident that both Sakura and Sasuke won't be able to get out because they were too weak.

Sasuke fell on his knees. He was shaking from the fear. This was almost similar to the uchiha massacre. Remembering that day again made him almost forget about the situation in front of him. He snapped out of his thoughts. His head jerked up and he looked at Sakura. Her whole body was filled with cuts and bruises. Her face had a cut and she was bleeding from her lip. She had a broken ribcage. Sasuke's tears fell even more.

"S-Sakura…" Sasuke said, as his entire body failed him and he collapsed onto the floor, though still awake. Sakura upon hearing Sasuke's voice immediately shot her head up to face Sasuke. She was about to smile when. "STOP IT!" Sasuke screamed at her. Sakura widened her eyes.

"S-Stop it! Stop Smiling! It only causes more pain!" Sasuke said softly, though being heard by Sakura. He stayed in that position, not knowing what to do. Sakura was in this state because of… Him.

"S-Sakura… I'm sor-"

"Sasuke. We have no time. Can you move your body here? I'm sorry, I cant move much." Sakura said seriously. Sasuke didn't get what her intentions were but did it anyway. He wriggled towards her, until they were only a few centre meters apart. Sasuke was now lying down vertically, with Sakura lying in front of him horizontally. His head was at the same level as her stomach. But he turn his head to the left in order to look her in the face. Sakura then began swinging her leg. Sasuke was confused but kept quiet. Sakura swung and swung her leg vigorously until her boot flew off and hit Sasuke's head. Sasuke had a what-the-hell!? Face, until he saw something drop out of the boot, which was on his head, in front of his face. It was an injection capsule.

"Sasuke… Sorry to bother you, but could you blow it here? And shift your position in a way that my face would be facing your shoulder." Sakura said. Sasuke was dumbfounded but started blowing the capsule until it reached Sakura's face level. She bit the capsule with her mouth and used her teeth to open it. Sasuke shifted his position, so that Sakura's face was now in front of his shoulder. Sakura then pushed her head towards Sasuke's shoulder. She injected the liquid into him. She opened her mouth, letting the capsule fall off.  
"It is a liquid that would give you back your chakra. I made it back at Konoha for emergencies. Guess it served well, huh?" Sakura said as she smiled brightly at him.

Sasuke was amazed at how she could actually think of that at a situation like this. He gained his chakra back in no time and cut the chakra strings open with his chidori. He then stood up and cut off Sakura's chakra strings. Sakura sat up and winced in pain. She pulled off the kunai on her arm and thigh in a quick motion, so she would experience pain in a fast way. Sakura tried to stand up, but quickly collapsed back onto the floor.

"Sakura! Don't move, you have a broken ribcage and your body's too weak" Sasuke said, bending down. Sakura was beginning to slip into unconsciousness, due to lack of blood. Sasuke picked her up gently and looked at her tenderly. "I never expected that you would have been able to hold onto your consciousness for this long…" He muttered. He was going to go out of the door, when suddenly…

"SASUKE! SHIT! GET THEM!" Kabuto said, causing many sound nin to come out. They were surrounded.

"Shit…" Sasuke couldn't bear to put Sakura down and couldn't fight them in this state- he was with Sakura and she was losing blood fast. Just when he thought he was in deep shit, a familiar voice rang out.

"SASUKE! DAMNIT! WHY WERE YOU SO DIFFICULT TO FIND!? WHERE'S SAKU-" Suigetsu paused as his eyes trailed down to the petite figure in Sasuke's arms. He looked at her arms and legs, which were covered with cuts and bruises. He looked at her face, which were very pale and stained with tears and blood. "W-W-W…" Suigetsu was speechless.

"We can't talk now. I'll explain later! Get Karin to Heal her! NOW!" Sasuke screamed. Juugo and Karin were standing there, frozen at what happened to Sakura. They're eyes were very wide and their face white, from the amount of cuts and bruises. YES, EVEN Karin. Karin rushed over to Sasuke's side and moved Sakura's head and mouth, making her bite her skin. All her cuts healed slowly, except for the broken rib.

"W-WHO DID THAT DO HER!? HUH!? WHO!?" Suigetsu screamed, VERY mad.

Kabuto laughed evilly. "Well, my my we have trouble don't we? You. The walking fish! You really remind me of that idiot Naruto Uzumaki."

Suigetsu got mad and turned to him, "WHO THE HELL DOYOU THINK YOU ARE TO CALL ME A FISH!? HUH!?"  
Kabuto smirked. "Nothing much, only the person that did that glory to Sakura-san."

Suigetsu's blood boiled. His face had fury written all over it. Juugo's face equally displayed as much rage. "Sasuke." Suigetsu spoke up. Sasuke looked at him.

"Go. Go with Karin. Me and Juugo will handle these bastards." Suigetsu said, turning to Kabuto and the rest of the Sound Ninja, who have not made a move yet.

"Will you be okay?" Sasuke asked, knowing Kabuto was strong.

Suigetsu turned his head and gave Sasuke a thumbs up. "Hmph, we'll be perfectly fine." He said as he turned back and glared at his opponent.

_Thank You…_ "Let's go." Sasuke nodded before running out of the warehouse with Sakura in his arms and Karin following after.

"KABUTO-SAMA! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" One of the sound ninjas alerted.

"OI! You're opponents are here." Suigetsu shouted, slamming his giant blade on the floor in front of him, causing a crack. "You still have to pay back for what you did to Saku, you jerks." Suigetsu smirked as he charged towards them with Zabuza's famous giant blade. Juugo smirked and charged towards them too.

* * *

Sasuke and Karin stopped in their tracks when they were sure they were far enough from danger. Sasuke put Sakura down on the floor gently. Karin then lifted up her hands onto one of Sakura's wounds, preparing to heal her, when Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"How would I know if I should trust you this time, HUH!?" Sasuke screamed, obviously raged that Karin tricked him just now for her own selfish reasons.

"S-Sasuke-kun… I-I'm sorry…" Karin said, with pure sincerity in her voice. This time, she was not deceiving him. She was being honest.

"I feel guilty, okay!? J-just look at what happened to her… she has a broken rib and uncountable cuts… who wouldn't feel guilty… I'm sorry, okay?! For just now… I hate her but…" Karin glanced at Sakura. "She did nothing to me, and saved my life the first time we met. I owe her one, don't I?" Karin ended off.

Sasuke was shocked. Karin had never been so guilty before. She was really sorry for her actions, seeing Sakura's condition, and how Sakura never did anything that bad to deserve something as tragic as this. He let go of Karin's wrist and Karin made Sakura bite her again, to quicken the healing so that Sakura wouldn't die from lack of blood. Sakura's cuts fully healed soon after, and all she really needed now was a trip to the hospital to fix her broken rib.

"My jobs done here…" Karin trailed of and glanced at Sasuke. She was terrified of the aura he was giving off. "I-I I guess that I'll go over to where Suigetsu and Juugo are in case they have injuries…" Karin continued.

"Aa." Sasuke bluntly responded before Karin jumped off. Sasuke himself was confused about his behavior. _Do I… like Sakura? No. No way._

_I'll admit that when we were still genin, I did have some feelings for her but… now its different. I'm confused._

_**Hmph, told cha. During the 2 and a half year gap your feelings for her seemed to lessen right? So now you're confused, because you actually forgot about your love for her.**_

… _Tch. It sounds so cheesy._

_**That's the point! xD Sasu-chan's having a hard time in love although he's got all the ladies.**_

_Tch. GO-_

"Sa-Sasuke?" Sasuke got interrupted when Sakura called out to him, sitting up.

"You're awake…" Sasuke said softly.

"Yeah…" Sakura sat up. She performed some hand seals.

"What're you doing?" Sasuke inquired.

"Healing my ribcage… It stings…" Sakura said, as she put her palm to her ribcage area and began healing, even with what little chakra she had. Sasuke seemed to notice that the chakra emitting from Sakura's hand was weakening.

"Is there any way in which I can help?" Sasuke said, hiding the blush and turned his head away from her. Sakura was shocked. Since when did THE Uchiha Sasuke offer his services to anyone? She smiled brightly.

"Put your hand over mine… It should help transfer chakra… Lady Chiyo did that when she saved Gaara." Sakura trailed off. Sasuke than followed what she said and put his hands over her hands. True enough, the chakra emitting from Sakura's hand became a whole lot more, and Sakura's face softened, meaning that her ribcage was getting better. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. After a few minutes, her ribcage completely healed. Sasuke was actually planning to bring her to the hospital to heal her ribcage, but it wasn't needed, huh? Sakura's medical ninjutsu was of such a high level, healing her ribcage didn't seem to be difficult for her at all. Sakura really had changed… She is now very useful and a very important part of the team. They sat there in silence.

"Sakura…" Sasuke mumbled.

Sakura's head shot up. "Huh? Yeah?"

"I'm… sorry."

Sakura's eyes widened. "F-for what?"

"… You were hurt because of me."

Sakura laughed. "Oh that? Ahah, it wasn't a big deal… It wasn't your fault."

"And…" Sasuke trailed off. Sakura leaned in to him by a weeny bit, wanting to hear what he actually wanted to add on.

"… For screaming at you today to shut up…" Sasuke turned his head away.

Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke continued.

"It was because…"

Sakura was dumbfounded. "There is a because?" She asked before grinning cheekily.

"Is it THAT time of the month? You know… your period? Because it'd mean you had moodswings." Sakura laughed as she said that.  
"What the hell, Sakura!? I'm not a woman!" Sasuke blushed madly.

"Its just that… Today's the day of the… Uchiha Massacre…" Sasuke explained unwillingly.

"Oh… sorry… I understand." Sakura told him softly.

"But I didn't think you'd actually say sorry. Its so unlike you." Sakura added on, smiling.

"Tch. You think so badly about me." Sasuke said as he blushed and turned away again.

"Hmm, you really changed didn't you…" Sakura stated.

"Aa." Sasuke replied.

"The only main thing you didn't change are those weird words you created! I mean 'Hn' and 'Aa'- what on earth are they supposed to mean!?" Sakura demanded to know.

Sasuke smirked. "That's for me to know, and you to find out."

"HE- OH MY GOD! HOW ABOUT KABUTO!? I ALMOST FORGOT!" Sakura screamed.

"Oh him? Suigetsu and Juugo are handling him." Sasuke said impassively.

"WHAT!? Will they be okay?! How could we be just sitting here while they're fighting some hard battle!?" Sakura asked.

"Hmph, trust me. For them, its just fun. They'll be totally fine." Sasuke said confidently.

"Hehe… maybe I underestimated them abit… But don't you want to kill Kabuto yourself?" Sakura asked- Sasuke being the avenger type.

"I'm not that revenge driven anymore… besides, Suigetsu and Juugo will handle him fine." Sasuke said as he lay down on the floor, hands behind his head.

* * *

"WHO'S THE MAN NOW!? HUH!? Oh that's right… ME! YAY YAY!" Suigetsu screamed as he jumped on a tied up Kabuto and Sound Ninjas like as if he was playing a xylophone.

"I should have known both of you would be fine." Karin muttered, slapping her hand on her forehead.

"It was darn it easy. Now, let's finish them off, shall we?" Juugo said, pulling out kunais.

"AHAHA! LET'S SEE WHO KILLS THE MOST PEOPLE!" Suigetsu screamed as both him and Juugo started throwing Kunai at Kabuto and the Sound ninja's hearts.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! HOW WERE WE DEFEATED!?" They screamed as they died one by one.

* * *

Me: Hello! I've got nothing much to say.

Sakura: Did you enjoy the chapter? Except for the fact that I was tortured…

Me: Ah Heh Heh. Sorry, but its part of the plan.

Sakura: What plan!?

Me: Of getting Sasuke to realize that he lov-

Sasuke: Tch. Shut up.

Me: Denial.

Sakura: Ah, whatever. Anyway…

Me: Okay, Sai, say the line.

Sai: … Sakura is Ugly.

Sakura: WHAT!? #%&$^*!&#^ -punches Sai-

Me: That was not in the script, Baka.

Sai: Ouch… Please read, review and give ideas. Sigh…


	7. Chapter 7 Outburst

CHAPTER 7: Outburst

I FORGOT TO DO THIS FOR 6WHOLE CHAPTERS!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto. Otherwise, Muahahahhahaha. Many wonderful, _wonderful _things would happen.

* * *

Hey (: CHAPTER7! Wow, I seriously racked my brains just to think about what was supposed to happen in Chapter 7. If Itachi came now, the story would end quicker ): So, no Itachi yet. Thanks to Hoshi Kusumi for helping me think of ideas for this chappie! THANKSTHANKSTHANKS so much to the reviewers too! Just to clarify, Itachi isn't dead yet and Naruto would come out soon.

_**THANKS FOR READING&REVIEWING MY STORY:**_

_**(in no particular order.)**_

**GynGeeLove**

**Shinrin94-XIII**

**Fcktherulesx3**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**xXxPoisonedAngelxXx**

**Hikari98**

**Born From Darkness**

**Theary15**

**Twisted Musalih**

**Hoshi Kusumi **

**Izzybell117**

**SasuSakuFan4ever789**

**A.L.C***

'**-CherryBlossom1997W22**

**Koishii23**

**Spazz8884**

**Angel Hidden in the Shadows**

**Blackcat**

Really Appreciate it ;)

* * *

"TSUNADE BAA-CHAN! THE ANBU ARENT DOING THEIR JOB AT ALL! ITS BEEN SO LONG AND STILL NO NEWS OF SAKURA-CHAN!!!" Naruto shouted as he barged into Tsunade's office, ONCE AGAIN.

"Naruto! Stop coming in here!" Tsunade snapped.

"Don't you care about your student at all!?" Naruto shouted.

"Yes I do, that's why I sent Anbu-

"ANBU ARENT HELPING! I SAY YOU ASSIGN A TEAM OF CHUUNINS OR JOUNINS TO GO AFTER HER!" Naruto interrupted.

"That's because wherever Sakura is, her chakra is masked! AND NO! IT'S FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR CHUUNINS OR JOUNINS TO GO. Don't you trust Sakura?! She's strong enough to survive." Tsunade said.

"… Fine…" Naruto said as he went out of the room.

"That was weird… he just listened like that…" Tsunade said to herself before continuing with her paper work.

* * *

With Naruto outside,

_If you won't allow a team of Chuunin or Jounin to go, I'LL go; myself. _

Naruto rushed back to his house to pack his stuff.

_Should I get people to follow? AH Neji, he has the Byakugan… but… he's too scary. AH! Hinata! But… Neji would kill me… Kiba and Shino are out on a mission… That leaves me with no more trackers… Even Pakkun wouldn't help. Kakashi sensei wouldn't disobey Baa-chan… So, it's me, and me. _

* * *

"SASUKE! SAKURA! WE'RE BACK~!" Suigetsu screamed.

Sakura had her back leaning on a tree and fell asleep, only to be awoken by Suigetsu. She looked up and smiled, then ran to Suigetsu and Juugo to see how they were. Sasuke on the other hand, was not too happy. He was lying on the floor with his hands behind his head. He sat up really unwillingly only to be hugged by Karin.

"SASUKE-KUN! ARE YOU STILL MAD AT ME?" Karin squealed.

"… Get off." _What the hell happened to the guilt stricken and terrified Karin?! Her good girl façade has worn off huh? _Sasuke thought as he pushed her away.

"Wow, both of you don't even have a scratch! Amazing… Since it was Kabuto we're talking about…" Sakura said, amazed.

Juugo chuckled. "Nah… they were easy."

Sakura was shocked. "But last time me and Naruto battled him, it was very difficult…"

Sasuke heard that and smirked. "That's because the dobe's lousy." He stated. That caused Sakura to turn to him and glare at him.

"Is that how you speak about your Best Friend?!" Sakura teased.

"Hn…be happy I didn't insult you."

"Whatever. Suigetsu and Juugo, I salute you two!" Sakura smiled.

"HAH! NOW YOU KNOW THE POWER OF SUIGETSU THE ALMIGHTY!" Suigetsu striked a pose.

"Ahem…" Juugo coughed. Suigetsu blinked.

"Fine… NOW YOU KNOW THE POWER OF SUIGETSU THE ALMIGHTY _AND_ HIS SIDEKICK, JUUGO!" Suigetsu rephrased, striking another pose.

Everyone anime sweat dropped.

"Sidekick…" Juugo said, disappointed with his position.

"Man! You guys are so difficult! FINE. NOW YOU KNOW THE POWER OF THE FORCES OF SUIGO! Get it? Suigetsu plus Juugo? Equals Suigo? Or do you want Jugetsu? Or-"

Before Suigetsu could continue talking, Sakura covered his mouth to prevent him from doing so.

"Ah Heh Heh, just rest, Suigetsu. I'm sure we have important business to finish… right, SASUKE?" Sakura turned to Sasuke, giving him a glare.

Sasuke noticed this and turned to her. "Aa. We still have to track down Akatsuki." He stated.

"Yeah! So, let's just get to sleep already, alright? Since we already bought our sleeping bags from the hotel when we were there…" Sakura smiled. Who would have known that the hotel they were staying at had a store that sold Sleeping Bags and Camping Items!? Weird. Everyone laid their sleeping bags. Karin ran over to Sasuke and put hers beside his. Sasuke noticed this and didn't like the idea of Karin sleeping next to him. Who knows what could happen? So he picked up his sleeping bag and laid it next to a nearby tree. Sakura had laid hers next to Suigetsu and Juugo.

"SASUKE-KUN! ARE YOU JUST GONNA LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!?" Karin screamed.

"Yes." Sasuke said, lying down. "And don't even think about sneaking here during night to sleep next to me. One touch and I'll electrocute you. Everyone, shut up and sleep." Sasuke said in a pissed off tone and turned away from them to sleep, expecting complete silence. Until…

"Sakura! SO! Hey Hey! Once this whole mission thingy thing thing is over, let's go mountain hiking or something! It'll be so fun!" Suigetsu started a conversation with Sakura who was next to him. Sasuke's eyes shot open.

"Hey! Yeah! That would be SOOO fun! We could camp under the stars and barbeque marshmallows and dip them in chocolate! YUM!" Sakura replied enthusiastically. Sasuke covered his ears.

"HEY YEAH! WAH! THAT WOULD BE SO FUN!" Suigetsu screamed. Sasuke is getting pissed.

"YEAH! After that, we could even- HEY SASUKE! STOP PULLING ME!" Sasuke has erupted. He had gotten up from his sleeping bag and pulled Sakura out of her sleeping bag. He picked up her sleeping bag and continued pulling her by her elbow until he reached his sleeping bag. He threw Sakura's sleeping bag on the floor next to his sleeping bag and pointed to it.

"Sleep." He stated.

"WHAT!? I want to sleep next to Suigetsu!!!" Sakura retorted.

"That way, we will NEVER get sleep. Both of you are so freaking noisy together!" Sasuke replied, annoyed.

"BUT!"

"Sleep here, now." Sasuke said, walking to his sleeping bag.

"I DON'T WANNA SLEEP NEXT TO YOU! Why didn't you take Suigetsu huh!?" Sakura argued.

"Because, if anything happens the next morning, we'll be counted as Gay."

"Well, I don't see a problem there, Sas-GAY." Sakura shouted. Sakura was about to move her sleeping bag elsewhere since he didn't want her next to Suigetsu, but Sasuke stopped her.

"I'm not Gay, Sakura. There's no guarantee that you wouldn't shout across the area just to talk to Suigetsu. Sleep here. That way, I can hit you whenever you talk." Sasuke threathened.

"Sheesh… FINE and if you touch me, you'll be sent flying down metres away with my punch. " Sakura gave up. She crawled into her sleeping bag, laid down and turned away from Sasuke.

Suddenly, she sat up. "GOOD NIGHT SUIGETSU, JUUGO AND KARIN!" she screamed. Sasuke threw a rock at her arm. "OUCH! SASUKE!" Sakura shouted.

"GOODNIGHT SAKURA!" Juugo and Suigetsu screamed.

"BADNIGHT, SLUT." Karin screamed, annoyed.

Sakura turned back to Sasuke. "Good night, Sas-gay." Sakura said unwillingly.

"Tch, I'M NO-"

"SHHHHH! People are trying to sleep!" Sakura interrupted, and showed a tongue at him before turning away and sleeping.

"Tch… Annoying." Sasuke mumbled before sleeping.

* * *

Naruto had finished packing. He was about to leave the village gates when suddenly…

"Naruto." Naruto freezed at the voice. He turned around and smiled innocently.

"Ah Heh Heh, Kakashi Sensei…" He greeted.

"Let's get to the point, shall we? You're leaving to find Sakura." He said lazily. Naruto nervously nodded. There was no point lying to his Sensei. He was ready to receive his punishment but had a different outcome.

"I'd like to go with you,but I've got an important mission in a few days. So…" Kakashi trailed off as he began searching for something in his green vest. Naruto widened his eyes. Kakashi was allowing him to go? Just then, Kakashi found what he was looking for and threw it to Naruto. It was a walkie talkie. Then, Kakashi did some hand seals, bit his finger to draw out blood and summoned Pakuun. "Here, with Pakkun, finding them would be faster." Kakashi explained, as Pakkun walked over to Naruto.

"We'll keep in touch… Make sure to get Sakura back. Sasuke, if possible… I'd love to see the whole of team 7 reunited… bye." Kakashi said, before 'poof' ing away. Naruto was shocked that his Sensei allowed him to leave the village secretly, and even summoned Pakkun to go with him. Desperate times call for desperate measures huh?

"Yo kid, lets get this done with quick. I've got a paw massage lined up for me and i don't wanna miss it." Pakkun said as he licked his paw.

"... Pakkun. You really are something. Paw massage?! Gee..." Naruto replied.

With that, he clutched onto the walkie talkie and jumped off with Pakkun.

* * *

Sakura woke up only to find herself next to Suigetsu. She jumped at the sight of it. "WOH!" She screamed. Sasuke seemed to have woken up already.

"You sleepwalked, loser," Sasuke stated bluntly.

"WHAT!?" Sakura screamed.

"I witnessed the whole thing. You looked stupid." He replied.

_Well, at least I didn't wake up to find my body entangled with Sasuke's… I was expecting that._

_**TSK TSK. Dirty minded.**_

Sakura blushed at what she thought of.

"That's awesome!" She jumped up and down. Sasuke recalled the memory of her suddenly sitting up and jumping over to Suigetsu while still in her sleeping bag. He shuddered. _It was scary._

Soon enough, the whole of Team Hebi woke up. They got ready and had a group 'meeting' on what they were doing next.

"We have to split up and look for clues on the Akatsuki. Going individually would make it faster." Sasuke stated.

"BUT! GOING IN PAIRS WOULD MAKE IT MORE FUN!" Sakura interrupted. Juugo smiled and said he wouldn't mind going alone since he had his 'bird friends' with him.

"Tch. That'll only make things slower." Sasuke argued.

"BUT BUT BUT! WE HAVE AWESOME DETECTIVE SKILLS!!! SURE WORKING IN PAIRS WOULD MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT AND FASTER! Y'know!? TWO MINDS ARE BETTER THEN ONE!? In this situation, TWO DETECTIVES ARE BETTER THEN ONE!" Suigetsu argued back.

Sasuke sighed. "No."

"COME ON! Doing it individually would increase the errors!" Suigetsu wouldn't back down.

"Tch. Fine Fine. We'll do it in pairs." Sasuke was annoyed to the max.

"YEAH! SASUKE MY MAN! YOU ROCK!OKAY! ME AND SAKURA! YOU AND KARIN, AND JUUGO AND HIS BIRDIES!" Suigetsu jumped for Joy.

"What?! Me and Karin!?" Sasuke shouted, pissed off.

"OHMYGOD! SUIGETSU! THANKYOU! COME ON SASUKE! LETS GO!" Karin said trying to drag Sasuke away.

"Wa-Wait! Let's change partners!" Sasuke tried to get out of the devil's grip.

"Nah! I want Sakura! She Rules! BYE!" Suigetsu said as he ran off with Sakura.

"HAVE FUN WITH KARIN, SAS-GAY!!" Sakura screamed in glee.

Sasuke's eye twitched. _GREAT. I'm stuck with the slut._

_**Its your fault that you didn't get Sakura-chan while you could. LOSER!**_

_TCH. Suigetsu-_

_**You could have said it faster!**_

_Whatever._

* * *

Suigetsu and Sakura were skipping along, until they decided to get serious with Business. They practically scanned the area, not wanting to miss anything. After 2 long hours of finding no clues, they decided to take a break. They sat down on the floor.

"Wow… I respect the Akatsuki! They didn't even leave a SINGLE clue!" Suigetsu complained, gulping down water from his water bottle.

"Yeah, I'm dead tired! Anyway, Sasuke and the rest are going to meet here, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yup. Meet here in...3 minutes." Suigetsu smiled. Sakura nodded. Suigetsu suddenly grabbed Sakura's pouch, which contained most of her stuff, and started rummaging through it.

"HEY! GIVE IT BACK, SUIGETSU!" Sakura shouted, practically tackling him for it. Suigetsu stood up and held her pouch up high, with height as his advantage.

"AHAH! YOU CAN'T GET IT!" Suigetsu played with her, as Sakura pushed him and tried jumping to grab her pouch, with Suigetsu laughing with her pouch still in his hand.

* * *

It's been 2 hours. Sasuke was dying. Since the first second he was assigned to her, he felt like using the Fire Ball Jutsu on her.  
"SASUKE-KUN! I'm so happy that we're together alone!" Karin squealed.

"Tch…" Sasuke ignored her.

"SO SASUKE-"

"Shut up and search." Sasuke said, returning to concentrating on searching.

"Fine…OH THERE! I SEE SOMETHING!" Karin shouted.

"Where!?" Sasuke turned to face her. Karin hugged him.

"AH! You're SO cute when your flustered Sasuke-kun!" Karin squealed, happy to be in Sasuke's arms. Well in this case, Sasuke in HER arms.

"CUT IT OUT." Sasuke pushed her off with force.

"BUT WHY!? We're finally ALONE! We can do WHATEVER we like!" Karin argued.

"I don't like doing anything with you." Sasuke stated. Karin hugged him again.

"BUT! BUT!" Karin was interrupted.

"Erm... am I interrupting anything?" A voice spoke out. There Juugo was, standing there looking bored.

"Hn… No." Sasuke pushed Karin off, who pouted.

"I'm done with the area you assigned to me already." Juugo said.

"See, working individually works better…" Sasuke mumbled.

"No, I had help from my bird friends, remember???" Juugo smiled.

"… Whatever. It's about time we met Suigetsu and Sakura. Let's go." Sasuke walked off.

* * *

"SUIGETSU! RETURN IT!" Sakura pouted while still jumping.

"NAH! Otherwise we'd have nothing to do! This is at the least entertaining!" Suigetsu said while laughing. Sakura was still jumping and jumping. Their bodies were quite close and she was reaching one hand up to try to grab her pouch, which Suigetsu was still holding up. Suddenly, she lost her balance.

"SUI-WOHHH! We're falling!" Sakura screamed as she fell on top of Suigetsu. Just at that moment, Sasuke, Juugo and Karin reached there. They all widened their eyes at shock when they saw Suigetsu and Sakura's position. Sakura was on top of Suigetsu lying on the floor. They suddenly realized that they were not alone and looked up. Karin was smirking, Juugo was just shocked and Sasuke…angry. Sasuke took out his katana from his waist sword holder and plunged the katana into the ground out of his anger. Everyone was terrified by his sudden action. His bangs served him well and covered his facial expression.

"It- It's not what you think!" Sakura said as she got up and snatched her pouch away. "Suigetsu took my-"

"There's no need to explain. I knew you were a slut all along! You just HAD to take advantage of the fact that both of you were alone and-" Karin was interrupted, "Shut up Karin." By Sasuke. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Look Sasuke, it's a misunderstanding. I don't get why you're getting so worked up!" Sakura pointed out. "Suigetsu took my pouch and I was trying to get it back, and we lost our balance so…" Sakura trailed off. Sasuke ignored her and walked off somewhere.

"Sheesh… what's HIS problem? It was only an accident anyway…" Sakura said mostly to herself.

"Nah, just ignore Uchiha. He's being an icy cold queen again." Suigetsu replied, standing up.

"Ahem… King, you mean… okay… so we wait here?" Sakura asked.

"Ah huh." Suigetsu replied as he yawned.

* * *

"Tch… working in pairs was never a good idea." Sasuke mumbled to himself.

_**WHY? Hmm, Looks like Sasu-chan's JEALOUS!**_

_Tch. Stop calling me Sasu-chan. Its irritating. And No, I'm not._

_**ADMIT IT SASU-CHI! YOU ARE J-E-A-L-O-U-S, JEAAAALOUSS!**_

_SHUT THE HELL UP YOU IDIOT._

_**You just called yourself an idiot, idiot.**_

_Tsk. Whatever._

_**So, shall I make it up to you and Fix Things Up?**_

_What do you mean?_

_**You know, the whole i-love-sakura-but-I-wont-tell-her-and-she-got-caught-in-a-'position'-with-suigetsu-and-i-am-fuming-and-jealous thingy? Come on, I'll make it up to you, by HELPING you to fix it.**_

_Tch, and how on earth would you do that?_

_**OBVIOUSLY TAKE OVER YOUR BODY FOR A TEENY WHILE!**_

_WHAT!? What do you mean!?_

_**Erm… It means, Inner Sasuke-me, takes over Outer Sasuke-you, and controls what your real body says or does.**_

_That means I'd be in my mind while you'll be doing all the talking and actions?_

_**YUP! It means we just switch places. I can do that ;)**_

_NO._

_**WHY!? COME ON SASU-CHI! I WANNA BE THE SASUKE THAT EVERYONE CAN SEE, instead of only being heard by YOU.**_

_NO. NEVER._

_**TOO LATE! –Snap-**_

_Whats happening!? My mind!_

_**Don't worry, it'll only be a teeny while. You'll be back to normal soon.**_

"For now, its ME, INNER SASUKE!" Sasuke laughed. Well, not Sasuke, rather INNER SASUKE. He ran back to where the rest of Team Hebi were.

* * *

"When Sasuke comes back, I'm sure he'd show me attitude. How cocky." Sakura complained to Suigetsu as she sighed.

"Ahah, yup, oh look! Here he comes!" Suigetsu pointed.

"HELLO SUIGETSU, JUUGO, AND BITCH!" Sasuke screamed as he smiled waved to Suigetsu Juugo and Karin. Everyone widened their eyes and looked at Sasuke as if he had two heads and 4 eyes.

"Wuh-what?" Suigetsu asked, dumbfounded. What on earth happened to Sasuke?!

"YOU CALLED ME A BITCH!?" Karin whined. Sasuke ignored her and turned to Sakura.

"HELLO SAKURA-CHANN!" Sasuke said as he hugged her.

"Sa-Sa-Sa-kura…CHAN?!" Sakura was pale from what she was hearing while she was being hugged. Sasuke let go of her and smiled at her. Sakura took a step back at first, then walked up to him and put her palm on his forehead.

"S-Sasuke… Are you feeling sick?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT, I'M FEELING GREAAT!" Sasuke grinned.

"WAIT." Sakura jumped back, taking out a kunai.

"HE COULD BE AN IMPOSTER! Why, sorry to blow your cover, but you're just TOO lousy at Henge-ing as SASUKE. Puh-lease. You're a complete opposite!" Sakura said, standing in fighting stance.  
"Sakura… that really is Sasuke. His chakra and everything else is the same as always. Its him." Karin said, also shocked of Sasuke's behavior.

_**(real sasuke) OI! GET ME OUT OF HERE! SWITCH BACK!**_

_Why?! Its SOOOOOOO fun! I haven't told Sakura-chan that we loved her yet._

_**OI! TCH! YOU BASTARD! ITS NOT FUNNY. You're making a FOOL out of me!**_

_Sigh... I'm gonna ignore you for now! BYE! Oh and be sure to watch me and Sakura-chan's PRIVATE MOMENT!_

_**PRIVATE MOMENT!? YOU ******** MORON! **_

"Sasuke… dude… you're really acting out of the world. Did you hit your head or something!?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yeah… Are you okay? Usually your quiet and all, and don't really greet us, let alone SMILE, grin or HUG." Juugo asked.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HUG ME!?" Karin whined.

"I'm F-I-N-E! And I didn't hug YOU, Karin, because you're a slut, unlike Sakura-chan!" Sasuke replied, smiling.

"Sa-Sa... Sasuke! It's not funny! Stop pulling off this joke! You're scaring the hell out of us!" Sakura scolded.

"But I'm NOT!" Sasuke pouted. That pouting face of his was a face to die for, let alone smiling. His face was totally gorgeous when he smiled. Karin and Sakura could have died after seeing it but were too shocked of his sudden character change.

**This is what SHOULD HAVE happened.**

Sasuke comes back, ignores them completely. At the most he'd say 'Hn' or 'Aa' or 'Shut up'.

This is what REALLY DID happen.

Sasuke goes all hyper and cheery and greets all of them, calls Sakura with a suffix that only Naruto would use, smiled, pouted, and HUGGED Sakura.

"Ah… let's go spend some ALONE time together, Sakura chan!" Sasuke smiled as he pulled her away. "H-huh?!" Sakura was scared.

"OI! HOW ABOUT US!?"Suigetsu screamed.

"WHY'D YOU TAKE HER INSTEAD OF ME!?" Karin shouted. Juugo, stood there dumbfounded.

* * *

"So Sakura-chan… I really have to apologise for all that Sasu- I mean for all that I did." Sasuke started the conversation.

"Sasuke…are you feeling alright? You're really scaring me right now…" Sakura replied, really scared. Both of them were sitting on a tree branch, of a huge tree, overlooking a scenary.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan!" He smiled.

"Then whats with all the 'Sakura-CHAN' and the hugging and the smiling and all those… _not_ sasuke acts?" Sakura inquired.

"Ahahaha, you just haven't seen this side of me yet hmm?" Sasuke grinned.

_**YEAH, BECAUSE THIS SIDE OF ME IS PURELY DISGUSTING.**_

_Shut up and listen Sasu-chan!_

_**GRR I'm STILL finding a way to get out of here!**_

_Ahaha, not until I let my guard down, sucker!_

_**GAH! You're so BLOODY irritating! Don't do anything to Sakura!**_

_I won't do anything BAD, only those good for your sake._

_**OI! YOU IDIOT.**_

"Ah, it's really scary… you're really freaking me out…" Sakura looked at him. Sasuke shifted closer from his position next to her.

"Maybe it's just because I'm nervous…?" Sasuke smiled.

"Ah erm… o-okay…" Sakura looked away. "Sakura." Sasuke whispered as he brought his hand to her chin and turned her head to face him.

"H-huh? Sa-Sasuke?" Sakura blushed.

"I..." Sasuke leaned in closer to Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened.

_**THE HOTTIE'S GONNA KISS US! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAxD**_ Sakura's inner squealed.

Their lips were only three centimeters apart now.

"Lo- WAIT! NO!" Sasuke suddenly screamed before he could finish his sentence and kiss her. He shifted away from Sakura and turned away. Sakura was dumbfounded.

_SASUKE! DON'T COME OUT NOW! I HAVENT TOLD HER THAT WE LOVE HER YET_

_**HA, LOSER, I'm making my way out NOW. You let your guard down.**_

Sasuke was finally back to his normal self and inner Sasuke was back inside his head. He was blushing madly from what had happened. He turned only to be met by the stare of a very confused Sakura.

"W-what happened!? You're REALLY REALLY Freaking me out NOW!" Sakura screamed.

"Look, I can explain. My-" Sasuke stopped and thought about what he was about to tell her._ I can't possibly tell her I have an inner Sasuke and that he took over my body! That'll be embarrassing… _Sasuke quickly thought up of something.

"I- uh… Sudden **outburst** of unwanted emotions." Sasuke replied, not knowing what he just said.

"H-huh?" Sakura asked, scratching her head.

"I-uh... it's…I… ate too many sweets and uh… became high…" Sasuke said that, because that was the only thing he could think of.

"But I thought you hated sweets? And I also thought you were mad at me, and out came THIS." Sakura asked.

"Tch… there's a first time for everything, and… Hn…I'm not mad." Sasuke said, as he blushed madly and jumped off the branch. He walked away once he landed on the ground. _I'm just a bit angry, that's all._

"Huh!?" Sakura said as she sat on the tree thinking about what had just happened. "Weird… note to self, NEVER let Sasuke eat sweets." Sakura mumbled. _Though he was cute while it lasted…_ Sakura giggled to herself before jumping down the branch and going back to where the rest of the team were.

* * *

"SASUKE-KUN!" Karin squealed.

"YO SASUKE! I FIGURED SINCE YOU WERE ALL JOY AND FLOWERS AND ALL, WE COULD BE BEST BUDDIES MAN! Just drop the pouting, it scares me." Suigetsu shouted.

Sasuke glared at them, "Hn, you should have enjoyed it while it lasted." He grumbled before sitting at one corner, turning away from them out of embarrassment. Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin looked at him in awe.

"WOHHH! HUGE CHARACTER CHANGE! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FLOWER GIRL SASU-" Sasuke threw a kunai on the ground beside the spot Suigetsu was sitting at and that caused Suigetsu to shut his mouth.

"Ah… scary…One moment he's all flowery and the next gloomy…" Juugo mumbled. Karin nodded.

"But I still prefer this Sasuke! Cool and SEXY!" Karin squealed.

"Tch… annoying bunch…" Sasuke murmured. Just then, Sakura came back. "Hey! So…" Sakura turned to look at Sasuke, who caught her stare, and turned away, blushing. Sasuke in turn blushed and looked at the ground.

"Woh woh woh… are we missing something here? Oh yeah! How was your _Alone_ time?" Suigetsu asked. Sakura and Sasuke's mind recalled the about-to-kiss scene immediately and blushed more.

"N-nothing happened in particular… just talking! Ah hah hah hah…" Sakura faked a laugh. "Suspicious…" Suigetsu eyed them both before shrugging it off.

"Are we going for a second round for the search of clues of akatsuki, Sasuke? Since the first round didn't get us any clues…" Juugo asked the team leader.

"Hn… right… We'll start after this break, and this time," Sasuke turned to glare at Sakura, "We'll do it _individually_." Sakura shot him back a glare and turned away in annoyance. "Whatever…" She muttered.

* * *

Me: HEY! I don't think this chappie turned out so well…): Sorry.

Sakura: :) At least I didn't get tortured…

Sasuke: Tch… I got humiliated in this chapter. Thanks a lot.

Me: No Problem ;)

Sasuke: Sarcasm, woman, Sarcasm.

Sakura: Whatever Sasuke! Get over it!

Sasuke: Hn… irritating…

Me: Say the line!

Sasuke: Hn… Read. Review. Give Ideas.

Sakura: Or he'll electrocute you :O Teehee. PLEASE! (:

_Note: Hehe… Ne, I kind of_ _KIND OF_ _got the story planned, in a sense, but still rack my brains for ideas on the next chapter whenever I'm done with one chapter, so, Ideas are WELL appreciated ;)_


	8. Chapter 8 Our Promise

CHAPTER 8: Our Promise

* * *

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Naruto. Otherwise, Naruto would be much better looking, Sasuke would not be the bad guy in the story and there'd be SasuSaku and NaruHina.

Oh my Goodness. I'm TERRIBLY sorry it took so long for me to update. It's just that Christmas was here and blahblahblah. It took more than 1 week for this to be up and I feel soooo guilty! School is coming soon too. I'll try my best! THANKYOUSOMUCH for the reviews! Really appreciate it. Last of all, BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR (: Here's a prezziee!

* * *

"HOT CHARISMATIC RAMEN LOVER REPORTING!" Naruto screamed.

"_SEXY COPY NINJA REPORTING!"_ Kakashi's voice said from the walkie talkie.

"Ahem. Whats with the stupid code names?" Pakkun interrupted.

"HEY! THEY'RE NOT STUPID! Code names just seem cooler after all!" Naruto argued. _"Anyway, Naruto. Make sure you don't cross paths with any enemies. Try not to be in a situation whereby it's impossible to get Sakura or even Sasuke back."_ Kakashi said in a serious tone over the walkie talkie Naruto was holding. Naruto's grip on the walkie talkie tightened as he brought it up to his mouth level.

"Rest assured Kakashi. I will get them back." Naruto responded seriously.

* * *

"So Juugo. Take this path. Suigetsu that path. Karin the path over there. Sakura the path behind us. I'll take the path beside yours." Sasuke instructed.

"Got it." Karin and Juugo replied. Notice? Karin and Juugo. NO response from Suigetsu and Sakura. Sasuke realized that and turned to where Sakura and Suigetsu were sitting. Their backs were facing him and they were talking to each other, ignoring him.

"Ugh… Going alone would be sooooo boring!" Suigetsu whined to Sakura. They had completely ignored what paths Sasuke instructed them to.

"I know! I mean. Just because emo boy over there likes walks alone it doesn't mean that we'd like it! Pairs are much efficient!" Sakura whined.

"… Emo. Boy." Sasuke came up behind them and said in a deathly tone. Suigetsu and Sakura froze. They turned around slowly.

"Hmph. Exactly what you heard." Sakura muttered.

"Tch. Irritating. Suigetsu, Path on the West. Sakura, East." Sasuke ignored Sakura and instructed.

"Hai, Hai. Sheesh…" Sakura and Suigetsu muttered as they stood up and began searching. _Tch… Irritating team mates. _Sasuke thought to himself.

_**You JUST HAD TO make it in an individual manner. SHEESH! Come on. You needa make a move, my man! Sakura-chan won't stay single forever! Who knows! She could end up giving up on you, and dating Naruto or Suigetsu! Or maybe even that 'Sai' guy we saw when we encountered them that time! They're a HUNDRED times better then you!**_

_Tch. Don't compare me to them and quit your speech._

_**SASUKE! I WON'T SEE YOU STAYING SINGLE AND GAY FOREVER!**_

_ARGH I'M NOT GAY!_

_**SO WHY ARENT YOU GETTING A GIRLFRIEND!?**_

_BECAUSE… because. _

_**Just go up to Sakura and say 'I love you and can't live without you! Just like a fishbowl is to its fish and plants are to water and girls are to boys. Even if the world ends I'll still love you and blahblahblahblahblah I've got nothing else.**_

_Argh. Shut the hell up, idiot. I swear you're worse than Naruto. That speech is plain stupid._

Sasuke had different facial expressions from time to time. Sakura was at the side watching. She was actually going to head off soon but then Sasuke started making different facial expressions so she decided to stay and watch for a while.

"Sasuke." Sakura started. Sasuke's head shot up in realization that he was not alone. He turned to Sakura and gave her a questioning look.

"Stop doing that. It's scary." Sakura continued, referring to his changing facial expressions. Sasuke figured she was talking about his expressions and replied, "What, YOU do it too." Sasuke argued. Sakura blushed and opened her mouth to say something but stopped to think over what she was about to say.

"W-Well, I have my personal reasons!" Sakura barked.

"Hmph, well it appears that I also have my personal reasons." Sasuke smirked.

"YOU! YOU! YOU COPIED MY ANSWER!" Sakura shouted.

"No I didn't. It just happened to be that you had the same answer as me but said it first." Sasuke smirked as he played with her, knowing very well that he actually did copy her answer.

"YOU'RE DENYING IT! Quit playing with me, you… you… OCTOPUS!" Sakura covered her mouth with her hand as a VERY weird adjective just escaped from her mouth. Sasuke had a confused look, and then smirked.

"That's what happens when you hang out with the dobe too often. You become dumb, and have lack of vocabulary- thus using the word, 'Octopus'." Sasuke mocked.

"W-WELL! AT LEAST I DON'T HAVE A VOCABULARY THAT CONSISTS OF 'HN' and 'AA'!" Sakura 'hmph'ed.

"Hn, whatever… Go search already. We're way behind." Sasuke stopped arguing as he headed towards the path he was supposed to search.

"Hmph." Sakura bluntly replied as she started searching.

* * *

"PAKKUN! Are you sure you're doing your job!? We seem to be going around in circles!" Naruto complained.

"Oh err… you see… I kind of have a blocked nose and can't really… smell." Pakkun replied.

"WHAT!?!?!?!? HOW CAN A DOG GET A BLOCKED NOSE!? HOW ARE WE GONNA SEARCH NOW!?" Naruto screamed.

"Sorry man… I can't be of much help now, but I can assure you I felt presences up ahead. I think its Sakura. I smelled her shampoo. Now you're on your own. Bye and good luck!" Pakkun said as he vanished.

"Sheesh. Damn you Pakkun! Sakura, hold on!" Naruto said as he jumped off.

* * *

"ARGHH! ITS BEEN AN HOUR AND I'M SO DARN IT BORED! We still have half an hour before we actually meet up! There are no clues AT ALL!" Sakura thought out loud. Sakura walked around still serious at searching. She then sat down on the ground and took a rest. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Being the alert type, she stood up in stance and took out a kunai, in case it was an enemy. She walked towards the source of the footsteps slowly, until the figure came out. It was Sasuke.

"Che… you scared me there. What're you doing here anyway?" Sakura asked, as she put her kunai back in her bag.

"… Nothing. We just crossed paths. That's all. Now, go and continue searching." Sasuke said as he walked away.

"WAIT!" Sakura screamed as she caught up with him. He turned to her with questioning eyes.

"Can we search together? I'm done with my area and its soooo boring searching alone! PLEASE! Even if you ARE annoying, it's better than being alone." Sakura pleaded. Sasuke's eye twitched at the 'Even if you ARE annoying' part.

"… The annoying part is supposed to be my line." He bluntly stated.  
"Okay, FINE! But can I come with?" Sakura asked.

"Tch. Just don't get in the way." Sasuke replied as he continued walking beside Sakura in silence and searching for clues.

_**You would have said no if it was Karin. Sakura-chan's so lucky!**_

… _I'm ignoring you, fullstop._

_**SASU-CHI! DON'T BE A MEANIE!**_

_*Silence*_

_**HMPH! FINE! BE THAT WAYY!**_

* * *

"This is HOPELESS! I'm getting nowhere!" Naruto whined as he continued walking in the forest aimlessly.

"_Naruto! How's it going? Pakkun got summoned back. What happened?" _came Kakashi's voice over the walkie talkie.

Naruto clutched the walkie talkie and brought it to mouth level and screamed, "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED! PAKKUN HAD A BLOODY BLOCKED NOSE! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THEM, HUH!?" Naruto picked up a rock from the ground and threw it into the bushes in a fit of anger.

"_Oh… Sorry then, it's up to you to find them by luck!" _Kakashi replied.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO- What the!?" Naruto paused as a huge dog came out of the bushes, biting the rock that he threw just now. It appeared that the rock had hit the dog and it was really, REALLY angry.

"Oh crap." Naruto said as he ran away, with the dog behind barking and chasing after him loudly.

* * *

"Sasuke, do you hear that?" Sakura asked.  
"It's just a dog barking. What's the big deal?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But it wouldn't bark for nothing, you know." Sakura replied, annoyed.

"Tch. Its none of our business."

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AH! I KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF THIS MESS!" Naruto thought out loud. _"NARUTO! WHAT'S HAPPENING?"_ Kakashi's voice screamed from the walkie talkie.

"CAN'T TALK! CHASED BY A DOG!" Naruto shouted as he formed some hand seals. _"Really. You're such an idiot!" _Kakashi muttered.

"KAGE-BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto screamed and a clone appeared. The clone ran to the right side and Naruto ran to the left side. Lucky enough for Naruto, the huge dog went running after the clone.

"Phew… That was clo-WAHHH!" Naruto screamed as he tripped over a log while running.

* * *

"OKAY. THIS IS ENOUGH. Now there's screaming! It's ahead of us! Let's go check it out!" Sakura shouted.

"Tch. Fine Fine." Sasuke muttered as they ran towards the source of the screaming.

When they reached there, the sight left them speechless.

"Oh…my…god."

* * *

Naruto scratched his head and groaned in pain. Right then, he heard footsteps running towards him. He looked up, only to have the shock of his life.

"SA-SAKURA-CHAN!? SA-SASUKE-TEME!?" Was all he could scream.

"NARUTO!?" Both Sakura and Sasuke screamed in shock.

Naruto stood up and rubbed his eyes, than pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"OUCH! That was painful… so… I'm NOT dreaming!" Naruto said to himself.

"Dobe…" Sasuke muttered.

"OH MYGOSH! I WAS RIGHT! SAKURA-CHAN! YOU _ARE_ WITH SASUKE! YOU GOT ME WORRIED THERE! Now I'm more assured!" Naruto screamed, running over to Sakura and hugging her and turning around in circles.

"OH NARUTO! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Sakura giggled while hugging him back and smiling widely.

"You're more assured?" Sasuke asked softly. _You mean he still trusts me even after ALL I did? He really is…_

"Yup, if Sakura-chan was with you, she'd totally be safe and unharmed." Naruto replied, apparently hearing Sasuke's soft question. Sasuke didn't believe it. Naruto could leave Sakura with him and be assured that he won't kill her or do anything to harm her? What was he implying there? He WAS a missing nin and MAYBE a killing machine to add in.

Sakura was just delighted. Naruto and her sat on the ground and started chatting happily, with Sasuke standing looking down at them.

"SASUKE! SIT DOWN! It's a Team 7 reunion! The previous one wasn't so good anyway…" Sakura trailed off while pulling Sasuke down to sit next to them. Flashbacks of Sasuke's encounter with them, Sai and Yamato came into the three's mind. He had tried to kill both Naruto and Sakura. What a _pleasant_ reunion.

"HEY! You don't call Sasuke-teme Sasuke-kun anymore! HEH HEH! THAT'S AWESOME!" Naruto said, trying to break the silence and laughing upon realization that Sakura didn't use that suffix anymore.

Sakura looked at Sasuke than back at Naruto. She giggled softly.

"I guess so… Things are different now, huh?" Sakura replied. Sasuke's eyes widened by a fraction. _Things are… different..._ He thought sadly.

"HEY HEY! WHY NOT TRY CALLING ME NARUTO-KUN NOW, HUH HUH SAKURA-CHAN!?" Naruto screamed while grinning widely, only to receive a punch from Sakura on his head.

"HOW ABOUT NARUTO-BAKA?" Sakura shouted, and laughed afterwards. Sasuke smirked as Naruto rubbed his head in pain.

"I really missed doing that…back then; it was fun everyday…during our genin days…" Sakura said softly, though being heard by Naruto and Sasuke. They both widened their eyes and looked to the ground.

"So… Sakura-chan… why did you join Sasuke's team anyway? It's so unlike you… I thought you'd immediately come back to Konoha or something." Naruto asked.

"Oh… I was planning on esca-" Sakura put her hand over her mouth, and then dragged Naruto away from where they were originally sitting. She dragged him into the forest area away from Sasuke.

Sasuke on the other hand, wanted to know what her answer was and followed them quietly and hid behind a tree, masking his chakra so they wouldn't know he was there. He then quietly listened to their conversation.

With Naruto and Sakura

"So…?" Naruto asked.

"Well… when I first bumped into Sasuke, I didn't know where I was so I wanted to just follow their team first, and then escape when I'm at a place I'm familiar with. The first attempt was… unsuccessful…" Sakura trailed off.

"Didn't you try again? You're not the type to give up anyway." Naruto asked.

"W-well… thing is… you see…" Sakura didn't know how to phrase what she was about to say in a way that Naruto wouldn't get mad. The words that came out of her mouth made Naruto widen his eyes in shock and gape at her.

"I want to stay with Sasuke and his team."

* * *

"HEY! KARIN! JUUGO! IS THAT YOU!?" Suigetsu screamed. Juugo and Karin heard him, and went over to him. All of them apparently had finished searching.

"Hey idiot, where was the place where we were supposed to meet up again? I forgot." Karin asked.

"AH? I DON'T KNOW! Juugo?!" Suigetsu turned to Juugo.

"Heh… sorry… I wasn't listening." Juugo turned away in embarrassment.

"MAN! HOW ARE WE GONNA FIND SASUKE AND SAKURA NOW!?" Suigetsu screamed in agony.

"Walking and finding, you baka." Karin punched Suigetsu in the head.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes widened. _She wants to… stay? I thought that she would have escaped with Naruto or something and go back to Konoha… _

"YOU WANT TO STAY!? BUT BUT WHY!?!?" Naruto asked in shock.

"Naruto! Quiet down!" Sakura punched him.

"OKAY OKAY! SHHHHH!" Naruto said, putting a finger over his mouth.

"Well… I wanted to stay with his team because… I want to reform a bond with him." Sakura started. Sasuke listened intently. _She wants to reform a bond with me?_

_**DUH! HELLO!? During your previous encounter, you said you had broken off all bonds and the only one left is the bond of hatred with Itachi. WHAT A LOSERRRR! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT!?**_

Sasuke nodded in understanding and continued listening.

"Reform a bond… with Sasuke?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Naruto. I have been depending on you too much on getting Sasuke back to the village. I don't want to be a burden anymore. I want to do my part." Sakura looked Naruto in the eye seriously, and then continued. "You made a promise to me to get Sasuke back. After that, all that has happened to you have been failings and you getting critically injured. That was the reason to why I wanted to become Tsunade's apprentice and get stronger. I… wanted to save both you and Sasuke by myself."

Sakura looked away. Both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened. "I want to stay with Sasuke's team, and reform a bond with him by spending time with him. It's our only way and chance of getting Sasuke back. After he kills Itachi, I'll convince him to get back to Konoha. Naruto… sit back and watch me." Sakura stood up.

"I, Sakura Haruno, will bring back Uchiha Sasuke. Remember my vow on that day, Naruto?" Sakura said. Naruto recalled and said her vow out.

"You vow… that you'd never be a burden to me and Sasuke again… and you'd not be the one being protected, but the one protecting…" Naruto said softly. Sasuke was shocked. Sakura had pledged herself to bringing him back. She suffered so much all for him. She trained under Tsunade for their sakes, not hers. He narrowed his eyes. What had he done to deserve this? He reflected on how he had treated her before. All he had did to her was to tell her she was annoying, criticize and not acknowledge her at all. After all she has done like risking her life to save him on many missions, all he had said was a simple 'thank you' when he left. He then walked away quietly and sadly from his position and back to where Sakura and he and bumped into Naruto.

"Naruto… please… let me do this…I want Sasuke to come back, so badly…" Sakura pleaded. Naruto thought about it for awhile while looking at Sakura's saddened face.

"Okay… Sakura-chan. If you want this, I'll support you all the way. I won't tell anyone. It's our secret." Naruto said, bringing life to Sakura's face. She smiled widely and hugged Naruto.

'It's **our promise** then, I will bring Sasuke back. Just watch, Naruto."

"I believe in you. I'll be waiting for you and Sasuke's arrival in the village."

* * *

With Sasuke at the place Sakura and him bumped into Naruto:

… _was this decision I made to leave Konoha… a right one?_

_**You asking me?**_

…

_**OBVIOUSLY IT'S A WRONG ONE. You FINALLY made bonds after the Uchiha massacre and you don't even cherish them! I know that Itachi wouldn't have wanted you to live a life like this, one controlled by hatred and revenge.**_

_He was the bloody one who started it by killing off the clan. _

_**So, in other words, you want to live a life of hatred and revenge? When it was Itachi who made life like that for you? It's something like listening to whatever he says. **_

… _I don't want to talk about it anymore._

_**Go back to Konoha, Sasuke. THAT is where you belong. **_

"SASUKE-KUN! WE FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Karin squealed.

"HEY SASUKE! WHERE'S SAKU!?" Suigetsu screamed, waving his hands in greeting.

"Hn… With-

"HEY SUIGETSU, KARIN AND JUUGO!" Sakura came running back with Naruto behind her.

"He- HEY! Is that NARUTO!?" Suigetsu screamed, running over to Naruto and 'scanning' him.

"Err hello… err… Who are you again?" Naruto scratched his head.

"I'm Suigetsu! Nice to meet you! That's Juugo, and that's Sasuke, and the slutty looking woman over there is Karin!" Suigetsu shook Naruto's hand while grinning. Juugo waved and smiled to Naruto and Karin just rolled her eyes.

"OHHH I REMEMBER YOU! WE MET THE OTHER TIME DIDN'T WE?! AHAHAHAHA I REALLY LIKE YOU!" Naruto said enthusiastically as he grinned back.

"… Great. As if Suigetsu wasn't enough. Now there's double the trouble." Sasuke muttered.

"HEY! WE HEARD THAT!" Both Suigetsu and Naruto screamed. Juugo chuckled and Karin was putting on makeup by the sides for 'her Sasuke-kun's attention.

"Naruto. When are you leaving?" Sasuke turned to Naruto and asked. Naruto faked a gasp.

"OUCH, SASUKE! You're asking your BEST FRIEND to leave just like that after not seeing him for a LONNGGGGG TIME?!" Naruto feigned a sad face.

"Hn. Yes." Sasuke replied bluntly.

"Hmph. What type of a best friend are you!? And I thought you'd hug me and beg for me to stay with the team foreverrr!" Naruto frowned.

"Hell No." Sasuke muttered.

"SHEESH! WELL THEN, AHEM! SAKURA-CHAN! LET'S GO!" Naruto said as he pulled Sakura by one of her elbows away. Sasuke widened his eyes and appeared beside Naruto pulling Sakura's other elbow.

"She stays." Sasuke stated.

"She leaves." Naruto glared.

"Err… guys…?" Sakura said softly while in the middle.

"It's none of your concern, Sakura!" Both Sasuke and Naruto shouted, glaring intensely at each other.

"Obviously it's my concern! I'm the one literally in the middle here! Suigetsu, help me!" Sakura shouted.

"OHOH YEAH! NARUTO! WHERE'D YOU GET YOUR COSTUME FROM!? I WANTED TO TRY COSPLAYING AS YOU! OH AND WHERE'S THE NEAREST PLACE TO BUY YELLOW HAIRDYE AND EYELINERS!?" Suigetsu screamed, running over to where Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were. Naruto immediately got distracted and went over to Suigetsu.

"You want to cosplay as ME? Well, ahem. That isn't so shocking since I AM going to be future hokage and all!" Naruto said; his eyes full of pride and himself striking poses.

"No, I wanted to cosplay as you because you looked so fake and animated, that's all. Oh and also because it'd be funny and I've always wanted to try cosplaying!" Suigetsu laughed. Naruto's jaw dropped and he went depressing and sulking in one corner while repeating the words 'fake and animated…funny…" over and over again. Sasuke smirked and Sakura scratched her head and smiled.

Suigetsu turned to Karin and screamed , "KARIN! HURRY UP! IT DOESNT MATTER HOW MUCH MAKE UP YOU PUT ON BECAUSE YOU'LL STILL LOOK UGLY!" This gave him a glorifying punch on the face from a very angry Karin.

Team Hebi and Naruto hung out for the rest of the day, with Sasuke not enjoying *cough* Denial *cough* the company of his first best friend. It was a great day, considering that it was a POSITIVELY good reunion of Team 7, without Kakashi though. –insert Kakashi's sad face here-.

* * *

Me: I'm sorry, this might have been the worst chapter I have ever written. Naruto is going back to Konoha in the next chapter ):

Naruto: Yeah! The Main character of the story is GONE! I bet it'll be boring from here on out! :)

Sakura: No… There'll just be no punching bag.

Me: -nodnod-

Naruto: -gasp- YOU HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PEOPLE! SASUKE! ARENT YOU GOING TO HELP YOUR BEST BUD?

Sasuke: You think?

Naruto: YAY SASUKE IS ON MY SIDE!

Sasuke: When pigs fly.

Naruto: SO YOU'RE ON THEIR SIDE TOO!? I'M CRUSHED!

Me: Argh, quit the crap and say the line, Sakura!

Sakura: Puh-lease Read, Review and give ideas! (: Ideas are well appreciated and NEEDED! Arigato! SAN Q~

Sasuke: You extended the line to a speech.

Sakura: UGH, WHATEVER!


	9. Chapter 9 Something So Daring

CHAPTER 9: Something so daring

* * *

Disclaimer: I am Mashashi Kishimoto and I own Naruto! NOT.

HELLO! I AM BACK! WHEE! Sorry it took long to update, School…

I absolutely LOVE it when people add my story to their favorites (It helps on the promotion of my story too!) or subscribe to it! I get so hyper when I read emails stating someone reviewed my story or faved it, or subscribed to it. :) For those who don't review but read my story, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE do review and make my day (: Every review counts. I read them over and over and over and over and over, well you get my point! An extra thank you to those who review regularly! I LOVE YOU ALL! This has become a speech… -insert embarrassed face here- **Thanks to Hoshi Kusumi for helping me with the chapters!

**GOAL: REACH maybe say, 75 reviews at the end of this chapter? 10 reviews are not that much to ask for, hmm? I'll wait till I get at least 75 before I update, the more reviews, the MORE words! ;P**

WARNING: Some twists in the story. Not so major though.

* * *

"THIS IS THE SONG, LALALALA, ELMO'S WORLD~! ELMO LOVES HIS GOLDFISH, HIS ahhh… what was that?" Naruto and Suigetsu sang loudly together while walking but paused when they forgot the lyrics.

Sakura sighed and smiled "Crayons…" She helped them. Both Naruto and Suigetsu 'oh'ed and continued. "HIS CRAYONS TOO~! THAT'S ELMO'S WORLD!!! YAYYYYY!" Both of them screamed.

"…I'm beginning to think this is more of a kindergarten field trip then a mission…" Sasuke sighed, annoyed. Sakura, Juugo and Karin laughed. Team Hebi and Naruto were walking by the woods, looking for clues on the Akatsuki. After MUCH persuasion, Sasuke allowed Naruto to follow them for at least the day. To fight a battle or two, who knows?

"Naruto." Sasuke called out to his best friend. "WHAT! You interrupted me and Suigetsu's ultimate battle of rock paper scissors!" Naruto whined. Sasuke muttered something like Naruto and Suigetsu being double the trouble before continuing.

"… When are you going back? It seems like decades when I'm with you." Sasuke asked.

"YOU SAID I COULD FOLLOW YOU FOR THE DAY AND FIGHT A BATTLE! OR TWO!" Naruto shouted.

"… That's because Sakura made me. I don't have my say." Sasuke muttered, though loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"HEH HEH. Sakura-chan has the power to control Sasuke the stubborn cow eh? SUSPICIOUS!" Naruto grinned. Apparently, Naruto had no 'feelings' for Sakura anymore, and shyly told Sakura that he actually liked Hinata. Naruto the Idiot doesn't know that Hinata likes him too- how dense.

"She forced me with her fist. What could I do?" Sasuke argued.

"YOU COULD HAVE FOUGHT BACK!" Naruto argued back.

"COME ON! JUST ADMIT IT! YOU-" Before Naruto could say anything, Sasuke covered his mouth to prevent words from coming out, to everyone's shock. "Just because I told you about what I felt doesn't mean you have to tell the whole world about it!" Sasuke hissed softly to Naruto's ear. Naruto scratched his head and nodded his head. Sakura accidentally heard it and questioned Sasuke, to his dismay.

"Sasuke, what do you mean by that?" She asked. Sasuke pretended not to hear her, but to his greatest annoyance, Naruto decided to answer for him.

"WHEN WE WERE GENIN, SASUKE TOLD ME EVERYTHING! LIKE LIKE BECAUSE I'M HIS BEST FRIEND, HE TOLD ME WHAT HE FELT ABOUT EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, HIS OPINIONS, HIS REASONS ON DOING CERTAIN THINGS, BLAHBLAHBLAH." Naruto replied, running in circles while Sasuke tried to catch him, in order to shut his big fat mouth.

"Huh? So… what does it have to do with now?" Sakura asked again.

Naruto sighed and answered, "Sakura-chan! AND EVERYONE THOUGHT I WAS DENSE. You can't even see what's right in front of you! It's so obvious! Sasuke also told me about how he felt about y- "NARUTO. Enough has come out of your bloody mouth!" Sasuke shouted, pinning Naruto onto the floor, with Naruto's face squashed onto the ground, seeming like it was connected to it. "OU-OU-OUCH! OKAY OKAY FINE!" Naruto shouted in pain.

"Our existence has been forgotten." Suigetsu stated, turning to Karin and Juugo with a sad face. Juugo replied with a smile saying that it was a Team 7 reunion. Karin on the other hand, was sick of being ignored.

"SASUKEE-KUN! I'm SO tired! Can you piggy back me!?" Karin hugged Sasuke's arm. Sasuke pulled his arm away from her and pushed her away.

"No. Ask Suigetsu to do it." Sasuke plainly stated. "WHAT?! YOU WANT ME TO CARRY THAT HIPPOPOTAMUS?! MY BONES WOULD BREAK!" Suigetsu complained. Suigetsu really asked for it, and guess what? He got it. 'It' refers to Karin beating him up.  
"Carry on searching. Annoying bunch…" Sasuke instructed.  
"Hai, Hai…" Everyone replied lazily, to Sasuke's annoyance. Sasuke decided to use this time to confirm something with Sakura.

_Does she really want to stay in the team? I could have heard wrong or maybe she realized I was there and lied. _

_**Why are you so unsure?**_

_Because… I'm not sure._

_**-twitch- THAT'S A TRICK ANSWER!**_

_Hn._

_**Wouldn't hurt asking. You'd know if she was lying anyway. You're able to read her like her book.**_

_Back when we were genin. _

_**PEOPLE DON'T CHANGE THAT MUCH!**_

_Tch, fine._

"Sakura." Sasuke called out, causing Sakura to turn around and walk towards him. They were supposed to do the searching individually and everyone had walked off already.

"Yes, Sasuke?" She questioned.

"Do you… Will you…" Sasuke found it hard to ask her.

"Are you staying in the team?" He finally managed to say it out. Sakura's eyes widened by a bit, shocked by the question. "Yeah… you need a medical ninja right…?"

"You're not planning on going off with Naruto?" Sasuke asked again.

"No… I'm planning to stay here… unless, you're hinting for me to go…" Sakura looked away.

"What? N-NO." Sasuke was shocked at the way he reacted.

"Well… you guys DO have Karin… so I'm not exactly needed here." Sakura continued.

"No. You stay." Sasuke stated.

"Why?"

"Because… because." Sasuke couldn't find an answer. If he said he wanted her to stay, it'd be embarrassing and she might think that he was hinting something- which he was. Sakura just continued looking at him with an expecting face. Sasuke then thought of a brilliant answer.

"Suigetsu would be depressed that you're gone and will… not be serious when it comes to…Tch, he'll just get distracted." Sasuke answered.

"Oh." Sakura nodded her head. "Anything else?" She asked.

"No. Go search." Sasuke ordered. Sakura sighed and walked away.

* * *

With Kakashi.

"KAKASHI. WHERE'S NARUTO?!" Tsunade screamed. Kakashi was in Tsunade's office, being questioned by her. She had found it weird that the village was so 'peaceful' and that Naruto didn't barge into the office to shout and scream about Sakura's case.

"Er, heh heh... A man's got to do what a man's got to do... don't you think?" Kakashi laughed, sweatdropping. He was actually referring to Naruto getting his friend (Sakura) back. Friends do that, right?

"What do you mean!?" Tsunade questioned.

"Err... he's answering to nature's call..." Kakashi said softly, not knowing what else to say and having no other excuses, as he was too frantic.

"WHAT?! I DIDNT HEAR YOU." Tsunade screamed.

"HE'S PEEING!" Kakashi screamed then covered his mouth. He never was good in lying.

"FOR A WHOLE DAY!?" Tsunade argued.

"Er... HE'S DOING BIG BUSINESS! YOU KNOW?!HE'S in the toilet... Shitting?"

"FOR SO LONG!? STOP LYI-

"HE'S CONSTIPATING! OKAY!?" Kakashi finally closed the lie, not knowing that those disgusting excuses had come out of his mouth. Tsunade blushed and closed the case. Kakashi was so dumb... he could have said Naruto was training or eating ramen. OUT OF ALL STUFF, Something to do with the toilet. How pervertic can you get, Kakashi?

-insert Kakashi's misunderstood face here-

_I have to get Naruto back soon, otherwise, Tsunade would suspect something! One can't be constipating for too long… right? Ah… I'll go call him… AFTER I READ MY NEW ICHA ICHA PARADISE BOOK(S)! WHEEPEE~!_

* * *

"SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE-

"OKAY, I GET IT. YOU'RE CALLING ME! WHAT?!" Sasuke interrupted Naruto's shouting.

"I FOUND SOMETHING! CLAY CLAY CLAY CLAY!" Naruto screamed, pointing behind a tree. Sasuke gathered the whole team and quickly went to the place where Naruto found the clue.

"That's… Deidara's clay… isn't it?" Sakura looked at it wide eyed.

"Yeah…" Naruto answered.

"Deidara?" Sasuke asked.

"He's from the Akatsuki. We encountered him before." Sakura answered. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Can you track where he went, Karin?" Sasuke asked. Karin was delighted that Sasuke had 'talked' to her, so she quickly did her job.

"I FOUND HIM! He's with another person! They're headed east!" Karin reported.

"They probably gave Deidara another partner, if that's the case." Sakura told Naruto, who nodded.

"Another partner?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yeah. Grandma Chiyo and I killed his other partner, Sasori." Sakura stated as she continued walking.

"YOU killed an Akatsuki member? Is he the puppet guy?" Sasuke asked, shocked.

"Yes and yes. Don't look down on me, Sasuke." Sakura glared as she continued walking with Naruto and talked to him.

_Last time I checked, Sasori is an elite puppeteer… Amazing. Suigetsu encountered him once and barely escaped, heavily injured with poisons._

_**WHOOHOO~ SAKURA-CHAN ROCKS!**_

Sasuke continued walking, amazed at Sakura's power. _She really isn't the same, after all… She doesn't need protection, she's grown…_

"SASUKE! WE'LL GO CHECK THE AKATSUKI MEMBERS FIRST! You guys stay here, in case anyone's following!" Suigetsu shouted and ran off with Juugo and Karin.

"WHAT?! GET BACK HERE!" Sasuke shouted, annoyed at Suigetsu's rash actions.

* * *

Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo continued jumping from tree to tree towards the source. Suddenly, they were caught off guard and tripped over wire.

"SHIT!" Three of them cursed as they were tied up in wire and knocked out with knock out gas. They could have easily avoided this trap had it not been for Suigetsu's singing and Karin's complaining. All three of them lay motionless on the floor unconscious as two shadows were cast upon them.

"We have company, Deidara." A voice hissed.

* * *

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura jumped from tree to tree until they jumped onto the ground in shock. Suigetsu's gigantic blade lay on the floor.

"Shit. They were caught off guard." Sasuke cursed.

"Well, well… I see some familiar faces." A voice came out. All of them went into fighting stance. Sakura suddenly found that voice very familiar.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR TEAMMATES?!" Sakura screamed in anger. Two figures came out of the trees, and both Naruto and Sakura got the shock of their lives, with Sakura shivering at the sight of what she could not believe.

"T-This can't be…" Sakura stuttered as she fell knees on onto the ground. Naruto and Sasuke looked down at Sakura wide eyed.

"Sakura… what's wrong?" Sasuke asked softly.

"T-T-That's… Sasori…" Sakura trembled. Sasuke's eyes widened more. _I thought she killed him?_

"H-HEYY! PUPPET MAN! I THOUGHT SAKURA-CHAN KILLED YOUR ASS?!" Naruto shouted while pointing at him. Sasori stood there smirking. He was not in his puppet, Hiruko, but in his original form- complete with the Akatsuki cloak and his red hair. Beside him was a yawning Deidara, looking normal as always, with his signature striking yellow long hair.

"Or so you _thought."_ Sasori replied as he picked Suigetsu's sword and threw it into the bushes nearby.

**-**_**gasp- TWO HANDSOME MEN! MAKE SURE SAKURA-CHAN'S NOT STOLEN FROM YOU!**_ Sasuke's inner self shouted.

_TCH. NOW'S BATTLE TIME, NOT ROMANCE TIME, IDIOT._

_(A/N I notice Sakura's inner self isn't so active. That's good right? It means she's showing who she really is ;] ) _

_(A/N **FYI! SASORI IS NOT, I say NOT 35 years old in my story! He's around say, 19? That makes him more sexy and dangerous to Sasuke ;D)_

Sasori shifted his gaze to the floor where Sakura was still kneeling, out of trauma that he was still alive. "Sakura, was it? You and Grandma Chiyo thought that you had won the battle, and left. Although the sword had striked my heart, the place where it would kill me, you didn't realize that that 'heart' was indeed a fake one. My heart was actually in another puppet's body, hidden." Sasori explained himself to her.

"So… you…" Sakura stood up, "You faked your death, and transferred your real heart into your puppet body after we left?!" Sakura screamed.

Sasori smirked. "So what if I did?" This got Sakura angry. Before she could charge towards him, Sasuke pushed her back.

"Sakura! Don't do anything rash. Stay behind us." Sasuke ordered.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE PROTECTED!" Sakura screamed. Both Naruto and Sasuke had to hold her back.

"Ahh… Master Sasori… sorry to cause you the trouble." Deidara scratched his head, referring to the clay that he accidentally left on the floor, leading Sakura and the rest to be able to track them. "I shall handle them, since I was the one who caused it anyway. Hmm" Deidara said, grinning widely at the excitement of a battle he was going to fight. Sasori rolled his eyes and argued with Deidara about 'art' again.

"Who would want to be killed by you and your stupid clay anyway?"

"IT'S NOT STUPID! It is called ART! Hmm."

"No its not. It's called rubbish."

"Art is something that is gone within seconds!"

"Art is eternal."

"GRRR WHO WANTS TO BE KILLED BY PUPPETS ANYWAY!?"

"People who don't get killed by stupid bombs. Go back to being a terrorist bomber."

"ARGH! You look down on me! I'm going to show you my power! HMM! "

Finally, Deidara and Sasori finished fighting verbally and turned back to Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke who had annoyed looks on their faces- especially Sakura because both Naruto and Sasuke were holding her back from fighting recklessly.

"Anyway, Art is a Blast." Deidara said as he started to go in fighting mode.

Sakura was more than mad, she was furiously raged. She pushed Sasuke away with her elbow and kicked Naruto on the stomach away. She then charged towards Deidara.

"SAKURA!" Sasuke and Naruto screamed at her, but it was too late. Deidara had started charging too. (A/N, in this story, Deidara is kinda good at taijutsu, kay? (: ) Sakura tried kicking Deidara on the stomach but Deidara was too fast and kept dodging. He landed a hit with his leg on Sakura's stomach and sent her flying away, only for Sakura to throw shuriken in the air before falling on the ground. The shuriken barely missed Deidara, but one had hit his shoulder. Deidara cursed under his breath. Sasuke and Naruto were furious that Sakura was fighting. They were about to dash into the battle when Sasori stopped them.  
"That is her battle." Sasori stated.

"SO?" Both Naruto and Sasuke screamed.

"Let her handle it, or she'll hate you for life." Sasori turned to look at Sakura.

"How would you know!?" Naruto screamed.

"I fought with her before. She's not the patient type, and she can handle Deidara." Sasori smirked. Both Naruto and Sasuke widened their eyes.

"THEN WHY ARENT YOU HELPING YOUR TEAMMATE IF YOU KNOW HE'S GONNA GET HIS ASS KICKED?!" Naruto shouted.

Sasori grinned. "For my entertainment." Both Sasuke and Naruto looked confused, but Sasuke soon muttered "Glad someone shares the same relationship as to what I have with Naruto." and understood what Sasori was saying. Naruto on the other hand, scratched his head and shouted for Sasori to explain what he just said.

"It's not every day I get to see my idiotic partner getting his ass kicked by a girl. One younger than him at that." Sasori answered as he continued watching in amusement as Sakura kicked Deidara right on the face. Naruto calmed down by a bit, but Sasuke was still determined on getting in the middle of Sakura's and Deidara's fight. He was going to run off but suddenly, Sasori appeared in front of him.

"That's her battle, and this is yours." Sasori smirked as he summoned a puppet, in battle mode. Both Naruto and Sasuke narrowed their eyes and prepared to attack.

With Deidara and Sakura:

"CHA! YOU IDIOT! WHO ASKED YOU TO LOOK DOWN ON ME, HUH? HU- SHIT!" Sakura cursed as Deidara's hidden bomb exploded on her. She thought she had won and was stepping on Deidara but turns out, the thing she was stepping on was a clone made out of clay. Sakura was flown a few hundred metres away. "SHIT! AHHHHHHHHH!" Sakura shouted as she flew away. (A/N flew away sounds weird… imagining sakura with wings.)

Sasuke, Naruto and Sasori on the other hand, heard Sakura's scream and immediately turned to see Sakura flying away. Sasori rolled his eyes because of the fact that Deidara was doing a victory dance and almost unharmed- Sasori wanted him beated and bruised. Naruto screamed  
"SAKURA-CHANNNNNNNNNNNN!" Sasuke on the other hand… 'Actions first, words later', he's motto really fits into what he's doing now- Running after Sakura, trying to catch her before she hits the ground. (She might get a head concussion]: ) Naruto shouted in disappointment, "TEME, YOU COULD HAVE JUST 'APPEARED' WHERE SAKURA WOULD FALL WITH YOUR AMAZING SPEED, IDIOT!" Sasuke heard him and slapped his own face for being such an idiot and appeared where Sakura was about to fall onto, catching her in the process- bridal style.

Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and stared at Sakura. Sakura sighed in relief and thanked Sasuke, only to receive a scolding from Sasuke.  
"YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL, YOU IDIOT!" Sasuke screamed, with Sakura still in his arms.

"WHAT! WELL, SORRY FOR WANTING TO FIGHT A BATTLE OF MY OWN!"

"DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN A VERY SERIOUS INJURY!?

"I DON'T THINK THAT CONCERNS YOU!"

"IT DOES!"

"STOP BEING SO BLOODY IRRITATING! I'M NOT WEAK AND USELESS ANYMORE! I CAN FIGHT FOR MYSELF!

"WELL, SORRY FOR ALWAYS BEING THE ONE TO PROTECT YOU WHEN WE WERE 12!"

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR PROTECTION! NARUTO COULD HAVE DONE IT!"

"I-

Before Sasuke could counter Sakura in their little 'argument', Naruto interrupted.

"YOU TWO FIGHT LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE! CANT YOU SEE THAT WE'RE IN A BATTLE HERE?! Geez and I thought that Sakura would be saying this to me and Sasuke when we're fighting…" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"WHATEVER, NARUTO!" Both Sasuke and Sakura shouted, and turned to each other.

"STOP COPYING ME!" Both of them screamed.

"UGH, STOP IT!" Sasori, Deidara and Naruto sweatdropped.

"I CAN'T TAKE YOU AND YOUR IDIOTIC COPYING!" Sakura and Sasuke shouted.

"Oh and by the way, YOU CAN PUT ME DOWN NOW." Sakura shouted into Sasuke's ears.

"Tch." Sasuke merely said as he dropped her on the floor.

"OUCH! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, NOW!" (Reference to chapter 3 where Sasuke ALSO dropped her on the floor instead of putting her down gently.)

"Serves you right for not being appreciative…" Sasuke muttered. Sakura ignored him and ran off to charge at Deidara again. Sasuke widened his eyes and growled Sakura's name out again, annoyed that she's being… annoying? "I'M GONNA GET YOU THIS TIME, YOU STUPID BLONDE!" Sakura screamed while drawing closer to Deidara.

"HEY! I'M BLONDE TOO!" Naruto whined. Sakura was still running but turned her head to Naruto signaling 'Not referring to you!' and thus, did not realize water on the ground. She was only a meter away from Deidara when she suddenly lost her balance. Sasuke had turned on his Sharingan. What he saw was going to happen next disturbed him, A LOT. What he saw: Sakura tripping on the water on the ground, landing Deidara a kiss on the lips. Thank god Sasuke saw that with his Sharingan, otherwise, God knows what could happen. He quickly ran towards Sakura and 'appeared' beside her and Deidara… sad enough…

Sakura's POV:

"OH SHIT! I'M GONNA FALL AND- Before Sakura could finish her sentence, her lips brushed against Deidara's lips. She widened her eyes and thought to herself 'shit…'

Deidara's POV:

_HMM, IF SHE FALLS SHE's GONNA- _

Main POV:

Sakura and Deidara's lips touching. Yes, touching. Not counted as kissing, but touching. Sasuke appeared right then and kicked Deidara by the stomach away. He protectively pushed Sakura behind him.

Sasuke and Inner Sasuke.

_THAT WAS HER FIRST KISS._

_**THEIR LIPS MERELY BRUSHED AGAINST EACH OTHER! NOT COUNTED!**_

_IT IS. ARGH I'M SO ANNOYED._

"WOHHH! SAKURA-CHAN'S FIRST KISS!" Naruto screamed, apparently rubbing salt into the wound. Deidara wiped his lips and shouted in annoyance, "IT WASN'T A KISS! OUR LIPS JUST TOUCHED." But added in, "Though, it did feel good…" That caused Sasori to roll his eyes, Naruto to put his hand over his mouth, Sakura to blush, and Sasuke… to turn into Kill, Kill, OR Kill mode. "Strangling, choking, stepping, electrocuting… which should I do?" Sasuke glared. Sasuke pushed Sakura to Naruto, who had ran next to her, and charged at Deidara. Deidara smirked and took out more clay, but in the meantime did Taijutsu. Sasuke tried kicking Deidara, but had failed. He took out a kunai bomb and threw it on the ground. Sasuke jumped up, while Deidara was caught off guard. Deidara got slightly injured, but continued fighting.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke yelled as he attempted to plunge his hand into Deidara's stomach. To everyone's shock he plunged the Chidori into the ground.

"It's so obvious that that was a clay clone." Sasuke muttered as he pulled Deidara out of the underground. "AHAH, KATSU!" Deidara yelled as the ground Sasuke was on exploded.

"SASUKE!" Both Naruto and Sakura screamed, though in vain. Sasuke 'poofed' into a log by using Replacement Jutsu.

"Naruto… why aren't you helping him?" Sakura asked.

"Duh, Deidara stole your first kiss. Sasuke has to kill him for doing **something so daring**." Naruto yawned.  
"Besides… Sasuke's gonna end the battle soon." Naruto scratched his head.

"He's gonna…end it … soon?" Sakura asked, confused.

"DEIDARA YOU BAKA, SASUKE'S BEHIND YOU!" Sasori screamed. Too late! Sasuke had plunged his katana into Deidara's back, hitting his heart. He then flowed Chidori through it, numbing Deidara's body.

"Oh well… your time to go to hell has come, huh, Deidara." Sasori smirked.  
"AREN'T YOU GONNA HELP ME!?OU-CH!" Deidara screamed, lying on the floor with Sasuke's sword still in his body.

"Apparently, not. You left me and took the Kyuubi with you the last time we encountered him. Like hell I'll help you. Go and enjoy your rubbish of an art in hell, idiot." Sasori grinned.  
"YOU IDIO-

"Deidara. Say goodbye." Sasuke said in menace as he increased the Chidori flowing into Deidara's body.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Deidara screamed in pain, as he soon died. "Now's left with you, Sasori." Sasuke turned to Sasori.

"HEYY HEYY WAIT! ONE QUESTION! WASN'T THE AKATSUKI SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE THE NINE TAILS?!" Naruto asked.

"Yes. But I'm too lazy to do so now. Who wants to please that pain in the ass Pein anyway." Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Aaahhh… HEY SASUKE! LET'S JOIN FORCES AND KILL THIS DUDE!" Naruto jumped.

"HOW ABOUT ME?!" Sakura screamed. Sasuke appeared in front of her. "You stay. HERE." He merely said as he turned away. "LIKE HELL I WOULD! I WANT SOME BATTLE TIME!" Sakura screamed. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT." Sasuke screamed back. "I- Before Sakura could fight back, Sasuke appeared behind her and knocked her out.

"Tch… how annoying." Sasuke muttered as he carried her to a nearby tree and sat her on the ground, back leaning towards the tree. He then walked and stood next to Naruto.

"Sasuke, wasn't that too… harsh?" Naruto asked.

"No. She would have gotten in the way anyway."

"She CAN fight."

"Not in that way, in a sense that she'd get hurt."

"Well, we'll see if you're still in one piece when she wakes up…" Naruto said in fear。

"Tch. I'm SO scared." Sasuke muttered sarcastically as he went into battle stance. Naruto shuddered and did the same. Sasori started shooting poisonous needles and Naruto and Sasuke started dodging. Naruto made a shadow clone to run in different directions.

Their plan: Fight nonstop until the dude's dead.

AWESOME huh. Note the sarcasm. Actually, afterwards they had some 'telepathy' of some sort, and decided on another plan: Person A distracts, Person B attacks the puppet.

Person A- Naruto. (He can use shadow clones to distract.)

Person B- Chidori (Chidori can slice through the puppet.)

**Sasori only has one puppet now): Which is the Third Kazekage, new and improved! The others were destroyed by Sakura and Lady Chiyo & He was too lazy to build new ones.

All Naruto's shadow clones were hit by the poisonous needles, causing them to poof away.

(A/N. Sorry… I don't really DO fighting scenes. I'll try [: )

"ARGH! This dude's annoyingly tough! Which- Er… how old are you?" Naruto exclaimed and asked Sasori.

"…19."

"Oh okay. WHICH 19 YEAR OLD PLAYS WITH PUPPETS?!" Naruto continued whining.

"…" Silence.

"Don't make him get started on his bull crap of 'art' " Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Now you're asking for it." Sasori growled. He appeared next to Sakura, to Sasuke and Naruto's shock and anxiety. "SHIT!" Both of them cursed. They started to run and Sasuke wanted to 'appear' next to Sasori and kick him away, but Sasori picked Sakura up and let her lean on his shoulder while 'standing', while putting a Kunai to her neck.

"One move and she dies." Sasori smirked. Both Naruto and Sasuke stop dead in their tracks.

"LEAVE HER OUT OF THE BATTLE!" Sasuke yelled.

"But she's an interesting one." Sasori grinned as his grip on Sakura tightened and as he pulled Sakura closer to him. Sasori had summoned his puppet back into his scroll before appearing next to Sakura, so his hands were empty .Sakura was still unconscious, but showed signs of regaining consciousness soon.

"Since you pissed me off… Let me think of something that'll piss YOU off, Uchiha." Sasori looked up and tried to think of something. Sasuke stood there annoyed, wanting to run there and tear Sasori's head apart but was worried for Sakura's safety. Naruto on the other hand took advantage of Sasori wandering off to 'thinking' land. He discreetly did some hand signs and said really softly,

"Kage-Bunshin no jutsu!"

* * *

Me: CLIFFHANGER!

Sasuke: Whoop de doo. –note sarcasm-

Naruto: WHOOOO!

Me: Again, I'm sorry. Naruto's not going back in this chapter! Maybe in the next :)

Naruto: YAYYY!

Me: Yups. Sorry it took SO long to update. Here's a very weird chapter.

Sakura: Mmhmm.

Me: Hope you like it! :) Let's call Deidara, who is in dead land! –calling-.

Deidara: Hm, hello?

Me: HEY! HOW'S IT GOING!?

Deidara: Boring and Deadly in Dead land, hm.

Me: Please say the line, PLEASE!

Deidara: Hm. Read, Review and give ideas. Jeez. What a battle gone wrong.

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW, not only Suscribe or Fave my story ;) REMEMBER! I'm not updating till I reach my goal for this chapter, 75 reviews. 10 reviews to go! :D**_


	10. Chapter 10 Remember Our Promise

CHAPTER 10: Remember Our Promise

Disclaimer: WHOOLAALAA! Mashashi Kishimoto-san owns Naruto! –bows-

* * *

HEYYO! Wow you guys review FAST! I'm gonna increase the reviews to 15 for the next chapter! NowNow… Don't think I'm some greedy pants. I just need more time to write because my schedule's packed like sardines. ):

To Clarify…

(Shinrin94-XIII)

There'll not really be any SasoSaku ): Saku's ALL Sasuke's :) Though I minorly support SasoSaku, ItaSaku and DeiSaku

('-CherryBlossom1997)

Hmm, SuiKa. If you were referring to Suigetsu X Karin, I'm not sure if it'll happen yet. Let's see what happens ;) MAYBE Suigetsu needs a better girl? Or Karin would change for the better? Who knows?

(Shadowolf)

If you review twice, I guess it's not so much of a counted situation :)

* * *

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto quietly whispered as a clone appeared behind him, with Sasori and Sasuke NOT noticing. What ninjas, huh. Naruto's clone quietly ran into the forest.

"Hmm…What on earth would make Uchiha angry?" Sasori thought out loud.

"HEY! How do you know teme's name?!" Naruto asked, distracting Sasori.

"Oh. I encountered that idiot once before. Blah, it was a tie, Pein called us back. Why am I telling you this anyway?" Sasori answered as he slapped his forehead.

"BECAUSE I ROCK!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"No you don't." Both Sasori and Sasuke murmured, being heard by Naruto, who turned into depressed and sulky mode.

"Tch. I said to let go of Sakura." Sasuke said in a threatening voice. Suddenly, Sasori's eyes lit with joy.

"I came up with something." Sasori smirked. Sasuke looked at him in an expecting manner.

"All I have to do… is kiss her." Sasori finished as he grinned.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes more.

"You've got to be kidding." Sasuke spat out.

"She looks nice to kiss anyway." Sasori said as he bent down slowly.

"Tch. STOP IT." Sasuke yelled, to Naruto's surprise.

"DON'T STEAL SAKURA-CHAN'S FIRST KISS!" Naruto shouted in anger.

"Oh, this would be her first? Then I'd personally make sure it's a good experience." Sasori evilly said as he continued bending down. Sasuke's temper has exploded. He was about to run forward and tear Sasori apart when Naruto pushed him back.

"Sasuke! Do you want Sakura dead?! One move from us and she dies!" Naruto whispered. Sasori's lips were inches away from Sakura's.

"That bastard's gonna kiss her!" Sasuke seethed.

"Yeah, but trust me. I've got a plan." Naruto replied.

"What plan!?" Sasuke said in total impatience.

"Shut up, anytime now."

Sasori's lips were getting closer… and closer…and CLOSER, need I say CLOSER?! His lips were about to touch Sakura's when suddenly, Sakura's eyes shot open. Her opening of her eyes only led her to see Sasori's face descending upon hers. She quickly reacted and sidestepped before kicking him in the face away, sending him flying a few meters. Naruto and Sasuke were shocked.

"SHANNARO! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" Sakura yelled in rage. To be woken up from unconsciousness only to be greeted by someone about to kiss you- Who wouldn't get angry? It seems that Sakura's little 'sleep' had ended. At this moment, -failed attempt music plays- Naruto's clone came flying kick down, only to kick Sakura.

"OH SHIT! SA-SAKURA-CHAN…! THE CLONE WAS SUPPOSED TO KICK SASORI! NOT YOU! WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WOKEN-

"Naruto…" Sakura seethed as she got up from the floor. She punched the clone and it 'poof'ed away. "YOUR-

"Sakura, stop it. Sasori's still here somewhere." Sasuke stopped his two comrades.

_**Psh. You're just calm and fine now because Sakura-chan didn't get kissed. What a loser. **_

…_Whatever. _

Sasori came out of the bushes where he landed. He walked towards Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto.

"Sakura-chan~! Me and Sasuke want to do this alone, so would you just step aside and wai-

"… Sakura. Back off." Sasuke said simply, causing Sakura to get pissed off. She punched a tree, causing it to break in half. She took one half of the tree and flung it towards Sasori. Sasori had luckily jumped up and escape from the attack.

"SAKURA-CHAN! CALM DOWN, Breathe, breathe!" Naruto said, moving his hands up and down in attempt to calm Sakura down. "Tch. Don't be stubborn, Sakura. You were never this stubborn before." Sasuke said, annoyed.

"That's because this is a battle I have to win! Don't you understand!? I need to beat this ass for Lady Chiyo! If not her death would have been in vain! Sasori's still alive, and he needs to DIE." Sakura explained, annoyed. Sasori, Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened. Naruto smiled and nodded. Sasori smirked. Sasuke on the other hand just closed his eyes and nodded in reluctance.  
"So Sakura-chan, just follow our lead, okay?" Naruto said softly.

"Sure. Whats your plan?" Sakura asked.

"I'VE GOT ONE!" Naruto shouted.

"Does it have anything to do with ramen?" Sakura asked.

"Err…I have ANOTHER PLAN!" Naruto scratched his head. Sasuke and Sakura leaned in closer to him and listened intently to his 'plan'.

"We… just fight till he dies." Naruto smiled. Both Sasuke and Sakura slapped their foreheads in annoyance.  
"Tch. What a 'helpful' plan." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"…Naruto, you're hopeless…" Sakura murmured. Naruto whined.

"Oi. I'm still here, idiots." Sasori shouted in an annoyed tone to attract the attention of Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto who were having a mini group discussion.

"Tch. We just have to destroy his puppets and he's dead." Sasuke continued.  
"HE is a puppet. He can use himself." Sakura explained.

"WHICH LEADS US BACK TO MY PLAN! FIGHT TILL HE DIES!" Naruto whined in annoyance.

"Tch. Less talk, more action. Naruto, we have no other choice." Sasuke said, turning to Naruto. "Is he a 'dirty' one?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked at Sasori, and turned back to Naruto.  
"It should work." Sasuke nodded his head.  
"WHAT WOULD WORK!?" Sakura interrupted.  
"Hehe. Just watch and see Sakura-chan, time for Plan B- aka 'Plan to use when we've got nothing up our sleeve! It's a best friend thing, y'know?" Naruto grinned.

"What do you mean?" Sakura scratched her head. Sasuke suddenly turned away from Naruto in disgust. "H-huh? Wh-

"SEXY JUTSU!" Naruto shouted as he did hand signs and poofed. He turned into a…you know what I mean. A naked woman. One that's sexy at that.

"Heyyy there, Sasori-kun!" Naruto said in his best 'sexy' voice as he struck a pose.

"Tch! WHAT!?" Sasori shouted as his face turned tomato red and well, had a nosebleed but tried to cover it.

"NARUTO, YOU BAKA!" Sakura screamed in rage and disgust.

"Now!" Sasuke noted to himself as he ran towards Sasori. "Sakura! Throw a tree at him!" Sasuke shouted to Sakura. Sasori was still 'distracted' by Naruto's naked girl form. Sakura nodded her head as she ran towards a nearby tree and pulled the tree out of the ground with ease. With the tree in her hand, she aimed it towards Sasori and flung it with great force. Sasori undistracted himself and turned towards Sakura, only to see a tree trunk being flung towards him. "SHIT!" He cursed as he quickly took off his Akatsuki cloak to reveal his puppet body. He quickly summoned his 'fire' scroll in his body and shot flames towards the tree trunk, leading the tree trunk to falling on the floor and missing him, while burning in flames. What he didn't notice : Sasuke forming Chidori handsigns.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke screamed as a screeching sound approached Sasori. Sasori, alarmed quickly turned behind to try to defend himself. He was too late. By the time he turned around, Sasuke was only a metre or so away from him. Sasuke's Chidori had hit Sasori's stomach and Sasori flew away and landed on the ground with a huge 'thud' in great pain. "Tch. Missed the vital part." Sasuke cursed.  
"My turn." Sakura grinned with malicious intent as she charged towards a trying-to-stand-up Sasori. He was weak after Sasuke's chidori and Sakura decided to take advantage of the situation. "CHA!" Sakura shouted as she landed a fist on Sasori's face. "Tch!" Sasori winced as he put up his hands and started shooting flames. Sakura was hit. "Shoot!" Sakura cursed aloud as she ran towards Sasuke and stood behind him as she healed herself. Sasuke was of course, her shield. "How do we get rid of him again?" Sasuke turned towards Sakura, still in battle stance.

"His heart. Get that thing out of his body, and make sure you smash it this time." Sakura answered. Naruto then ran to their side.

"Ah, the plan didn't seem to go as well as I thought it would." Naruto 'reported'.

"Yeah, we can see that." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Let's just burn his puppets." Sasuke suggested sarcastically.

"Hey, wait. That's a great idea! Thing is, he's using himself, not his puppets." Sakura sighed.

"We've run out of ideas." Naruto whined.

"I could kill him myself…" Sasuke muttered.

"BUT I WANNA KILL HIM!" Sakura stomped her feet.

"I WANT SOME ACTION TOO!" Naruto shouted.

"…Its still a group thing in the end." Sasuke put a fist to his forehead.

"So… How do we settle this?" Sakura asked.

Just as the old team 7 was about to argue about who was going to kill Sasori, they heard something from the bushes. Sasori, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto turned to the source of the noise. Out of the bushes came… Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo.

"My my, seems you three losers have awoken from your little slumber." Sasori smirked.

"Hmph. YOU! YOU ARE THE IDIOT THAT THREW MY SWORD AWAY, RIGHT!?" Suigetsu pointed at Sasori in disgust, with his sword by his side.

"…No. It was Deidara."

"WELL, WHERE IS HE!?" Suigetsu screamed.

"Dead."

"Oh. Oh well…I must have killed him in my sleep. Oh HEY SAKURA, SASUKE, NARUTO!" Suigetsu waved to them as he skipped towards them, with Karin and Juugo following behind.

"Which three idiots would fall for a simple trap like that?" Sasuke looked at them expectantly.

"Idiots that follow after their master." Sakura smiled. (reference to chapter 6- Sasuke also tripped over wire but got tied up.)

"Tch…" Sasuke looked away.

"Continuing… I WANNA KILL HIM! YOU TWO GUYS BACK OFF!" Sakura screamed in rage.

"I WANT ACTION!"

"I could kill him myself."

"I'M SUPPOSED TO AVENGE LADY CHIYO!"

"I WANT ACTION!"

"You two would just get in the way."

"I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO FIGHT THIS BATTLE!"

"I WANT ACTION!"

"Naruto, SHUT UP."

"JUST GO AWAY, I CAN HANDLE THAT IDIOT OF A SASORI!"  
"STUPID TEME! I STILL WANT ACTION AND MORE SCREEN TIME!"

"I could kill him in a flash."

"…" Sasori, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo watched in silence as team 7 argued about who was going to kill Sasori. If you're wondering why Sasori's just standing there watching and not taking the advantage to attack, well, here you go. Sasori quickly changed his 'fire scroll' to a 'gas scroll'- which gives out knock out gas. He pointed his hands towards Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. Suigetsu saw this and shouted, "YOU GUYS! WATCH OUT!" But it was too late. Before Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto could hold their breaths; they had inhaled the smoke and collapsed.  
"Jeezers… Each of them individually is powerful. But when they come together as a group, they become as stupid as a… a… stupid animal." Suigetsu sighed.

"I can't believe Sasuke-kun fell for a trap like that…" Karin said, wide eyed.

"Well, he WAS drawn into the argument anyway." Juugo sighed.

"I guess it's up to us again! YAY!" Sugietsu said enthusiastically as he jumped up and down in excitement.

"…Call me when you're done." Karin lazily said as she walked towards a tree and sat under it.

"Let it roll!" Suigetsu screamed as he charged with Juugo towards Sasori.

"Hah, bring it." Sasori smirked as he summoned his 'water scroll'.

"Water against Water huh? Let's see." Suigetsu grinned.

-Ignoring the battle, AGAIN (: -

* * *

With Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto- After 15 minutes.

Naruto was lying on the floor unconscious flat like a pancake, legs and hands spread out like a starfish. Sasuke looked cool no matter what he did, so what makes you think he'd look stupid while lying down unconscious? Sakura's head was resting on Sasuke's stomach, to Karins' shock when she went over. She kicked Sakura's head, making it land on the floor and pushed her away, to sit next to a lying down unconscious Sasuke. She started caressing Sasuke's face. Both Sasuke and Sakura's inners awoken.

_**Sasuke's. **_

_**OI SASUKE! SOMEONE'S TOUCHING US, AND ITS NOT SAKURA-CHAN!**_

_Tch… what happened?_

_**Knock out gas.**_

…_I feel stupid._

_**ANYWAY SOMEONE'S TOUCHING US.**_

_Who?_

_**ITS NOT SAKURA-CHAN, SO ITS…?**_

_Karin. _

_**YUCKIEE GERM!**_

_Tch. Get me out of unconsciousness. This is so disturbing._

_**Sakura's**_

_**SAKURAAA~**_

_Wow, you suddenly appeared again! I was knocked out or something right?_

_**Knock out gas.**_

…

_**ANYWAY. SOMEONE'S TOUCHING OUR SASUKE-KUN!**_

_Hmm? What does that have to do with me?_

_**I think its Karin.**_

_Uh-huh…?_

_**You're SO not protective over your man.**_

_He's not mine._

_**You're HOPELESS. WHAT HAPPENED TO FANGIRL SAKURA?! I PREFER AND LOVE HER MORE!**_

_Too bad…_

_**I don't care! You're waking up! **_

_RIGHT! I STILL HAVE SASORI'S BATTLE. GET ME OUT OF THIS._

"KYAAAAAA! SASUKE-KUN'S FACE IS SOOOOOOO SOFT! A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!" Karin squealed as she caressed Sasuke's face like there was no tomorrow. Sasuke's eyes started to open but Karin didn't notice. Sasuke woke up only to see Karin touching his face. His eyes twitched in annoyance. He slapped Karin's hand away.

"Don't touch me." Sasuke growled as he sat up.

"BU-

"Urgh…" Sakura started to regain consciousness. She sat up and looked at her two teammates from team 7. She looked at Sasuke, and glared at him, only to receive the famous Uchiha glare back. She then ignored him and turned to Naruto who was still unconscious, but still talking while doing so.

"Gah…Ra…men-chan…" Naruto murmured while unconscious. Sasuke, Sakura and Karin had annoyed looks plastered on their faces. Sakura stood up in annoyance and walked over to where Naruto was lying down. She raised her leg and stepped on Naruto's stomach hardly. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOUCHHH!" Naruto shouted in pain as he woke up from a stinging pain on his stomach.  
"Sakura-chan… you're so mean!" Naruto whined.

"Whatever! We have to go back to fighting Sasori!" Sakura quickly ran off in search of Sasori.

"OI! WAIT UP!" Naruto shouted as he ran after her.

"Tch. Idiots." Sasuke mumbled as he stood up and ran after them.

"HEY! HOW ABOUT ME!?" Karin sat there, annoyed that she was being ignored.

* * *

With Suigetsu and Juugo.

"HAH!" Suigetsu shouted as he slashed his sword on Sasori, causing Sasori's 'heart' to go off his body. "SHIT!" Sasori cursed as his eyes closed automatically.

"EAT THAT, SUCKERRRR!" Suigetsu screamed as his sword was still stuck onto Sasori's body. Juugo quickly went over to where Sasori's heart was and stomped and jumped on it continuously. Suigetsu followed suit and began playing soccer with it. He then digged a hole and put the 'heart' inside and buried it.

"Now that that's done…" Suigetsu said cheekily as he turned to Juugo. "I wonder how we always get these battles done fast…" Juugo sighed as he walked over to where Suigetsu was- next to Sasori's dead body.

"LET'S PLAY WITH HIM! I LOVE PUPPETS! WHOOO!" Suigetsu screamed in excitement like a kid.

With Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto.

"The battle should be done by now if It was Juugo and Suigetsu fighting…" Sasuke said.

"ARGH. I want to kill Sasori! I can't see why we three can't work as well as Suigetsu and Juugo!" Sakura whined as she hopped onto the floor where she found Suigetsu. When she jumped down, she was greeted by a weird sight.

"HELLO JUUGO!" Suigetsu smiled as he played with his NEW toy, "Saso-Chi the puppet's talking to you! ANSWERRRR~!" Suigetsu whined as he put Sasori's dead puppet body's hands up and down in a childish manner.

"Why, hello. But go away for now. I'm busy with my bird friends!" Juugo sighed.

"SUIGETSU!" Sakura screamed as she ran towards him. Sasuke, Naruto and Karin following behind.

"Huh- OHHH! SAKURA! HEYY!" Suigetsu waved happily.

"What happened?! You… killed him!?" Sakura said in rage.

"Huh…Yeah…Me and Juugo." Suigetsu answered, unaware of Sakura's want to kill Sasori herself.

"URGHHH! SASUKE, THIS IS YOU'RE FAULT!" Sakura screamed to Sasuke while pointing at him furiously.

"Tch, How is it MY fault?!" Sasuke countered.

"You were the one who started the argument that leaded us to getting distracted and giving Sasori the chance to attack us with knock out gas!" Sakura said angrily.

"Sakura-chan… Don't be mad!" Naruto tried to calm Sakura down.  
"Tch. Annoying." Sasuke muttered.

"Ahh… come on Sakura, let's go somewhere to calm down, shall we???" Suigetsu asked, trying to stop the argument between Sasuke and Sakura.

"How're we gonna keep in touch?" Naruto asked.

"Walkie Talkies! I got them through airmail just now!" Suigetsu screamed in joy as he pointed to a box on the floor.

"You could have gotten us Pizza…" Naruto whined. Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Suigetsu and Juugo took one each. Karin didn't need one as she was a sensor ninja.

"Naruto, you take Sasuke, ne? I'll take Sakura. We'll cool them off before coming back and meeting each other here again. Kay?" Suigetsu whispered to Naruto, who in turn nodded.

"COME ON SAKURA!" Suigetsu shouted in excitement as he grabbed Sakura's hand and ran off with her.

"Oi, Teme. Let's go walk or something." Naruto said as he walked slowly. "Hn…" Sasuke answered, annoyed. Juugo and Karin were left behind. Juugo went to play with his birds, SHOCKING Hmm? (Note sarcasm). Karin on the other hand, was left stranded.

* * *

With Suigetsu and Sakura:

"URGHHH I CAN'T TAKE THAT UCHIHA!" Sakura screamed in rage, to Suigetsu's shock.

"Ahh heh heh… forgive him ne? Anyway you used to like him right?" Suigetsu waved his hands in a 'calm down' manner. Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Suigetsu with a glare. "Who told you?" Sakura asked, angry. Suigetsu froze before answering "Naruto." Sakura muttered a "He's gonna die." Before continuing on her rant.

"Say Say, Sakura." Suigetsu interrupted Sakura's rant. "What?" She asked.

"Don't you think Sasuke's a bit out of character?" Suigetsu asked.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"It's like he's not cool and calm anymore, but the opposite. He seems to be somehow… showing another side of him..." Suigetsu answered.

"Ah. I don't' get it."

"Example. The hot springs incident. He was all panicky and annoyed and frustrated- when he barely showed any emotions last time. Oh and the Kabuto incident? No one had ever seen him so frantic. I bet that you've seen this 'changes' in him, hmm? He's usually calm and passive. But ever since you came, he's been acting weird and the opposite."

"So what's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Ever since you came… he's been out of character…get it???" Suigetsu hinted.

"No…"

"ARGH! HE LIKES YOU!" Suigetsu yelled, slightly annoyed that Sakura was so dense.

"Wuh-what?! HE LIKES ME?! THAT'S THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE CRAP I'VE EVER HEARD!" Sakura yelled back, not believing Suigetsu's statement.

"Okay, fine. He LOVES you, Sakura. It's so bloody obvious!" Suigetsu countered. "Stop spouting nonsense, Suigetsu… He-

"_HEY SAKURA-CHAN~!" _Naruto voice rang through Sakura's walkie talkie.

"What?!" Sakura screamed back.

"Sasuke here's hurt! You two fought just now and he's feeling utterly depressed. Oh look at him…he's kneeling down on the floor, tears rolling down his eyes nonstop! He wants you; he wants you BACK by his side. To conquer the earth and the skies and the heavens! He's devastated! He-

"No I'm not." Sasuke's passive voice came through the walkie talkie, interrupting Naruto's drama.

"TEME! WHY WON'T YOU GO WITH WHAT I DO SOMETIMES!?"

"Tch, because what you do is always stupid."

"WHY YOU! I'M GONNA SING A SONG!"

"Hn."

"P-P-P-POKER FACE P-P POKERFACE! CAN'T READ MY, CAN'T READ MY-

"Dobe. Who sang that song?"

"Lady Gaga?"

"Well, you should let HER sing it."

"ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY MY SINGING STINKS!?"

Sakura got annoyed at Sasuke and Naruto's argument ringing through the walkie talkie and switched it off. "Let's just go back." Suigetsu shrugged and followed Sakura silently. Sakura thought over what Suigetsu had said. _Sasuke…likes me? _Even someone like Suigetsu could see it.

* * *

Karin was the first to be at the meeting area- partly because she was left stranded there alone. "Psh. I'm all alone again. I've got to find a way to get Sasuke-kun all to myself!" Karin said to herself. Just then, Sasuke and Naruto came walking back. It seemed that Sasuke had 'cooled off' from his bad mood just now. Thank you, Naruto. Karin was still ignored. Sasuke and Naruto went to a tree and sat there just talking. Well…to be more precise, Naruto was doing all the talking, with Sasuke nodding away. A few minutes later, Juugo came, followed by Sakura and Suigetsu. Just as Naruto was about to go have some fun with Suigetsu, Kakashi's voice rang through Naruto's personal walkie talkie.

"_NARUTO! YOU'VE GOT TO HURRY UP AND GET YOUR BUTT HERE! TSUNADE'S HAVING A SEARCH PARTY LOOK FOR YOU IN KONOHA! If she doesn't find you by today, you'll be in HUGE trouble!"_ Kakashi screamed.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed back into the walkie talkie.

"Hey! Is that Kakashi!? HELLO KAKASHI, I'm SAKURA!" Sakura said happily, pushing Naruto's head away as she talked to Kakashi through the walkie talkie.

"_HEY! Phew. You're safe. Who else is there?"_ Kakashi asked enthusiastically.

"W-

"Sakura-chan! Now's not time for talk! I've got to leave! Tsunade baa-chan's capable of ANYTHING when I go back." Naruto switched off the walkie talkie.

"So…its goodbye?" Sakura said sadly. Suigetsu and Juugo frowned.

"Yeah…bye Sakura-chan…see ya…" Naruto said as he hugged Sakura. While hugging Sakura, he whispered something into her ear. "**Remember our promise**." Sakura whispered back, "Yeah…you told Suigetsu that I liked Sasuke before?! You'll die in Konoha." Naruto giggled in fear. He then hugged Suigetsu and Juugo and said a 'goodbye slut' to Karin as she didn't want a hug. He then looked over at Sasuke who was at the side leaning on a tree.

"Sasuke Teme…" Naruto said cheekily as he ran over to Sasuke and hugged him. (a/n NO YAOI) "BYE, TEME! SEE YA and…" Naruto whispered the last part, "Take care of Sakura-chan." Sasuke pushed Naruto away and replied with a 'Aa'.

"Well…BYE GUYS!" Naruto shouted.

"BYE!" Suigetsu screamed sadly.

"Bye…" Juugo said softly.

"Bye, idiot." Karin shouted.

"Hn…" Sasuke mumbled.

"…Bye…Naruto…" Sakura said softly. With major hand wavings, Naruto finally left the team.

_It's been great with you on the team, Naruto._

* * *

Me: HEYYO! FINALLY ITS UP!

Sakura: Yups!

Me: I'm tired. Here say the line, Karin.

Karin: Read, Review and give ideas. I LOVE SASUKE-KUN!

_**REMEMBER, 15 REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! (I increased it by 5 so that i'd have enough time to write (: )**_


	11. Chapter 11 You've got Competition

CHAPTER 11: You've got Competition

** Extra disclaimer for chapter 10, which I forgot to put: I do not own Lady Gaga, or her song Poker Face ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto ): I only own this story. Yes, its M-I-N-E :D

Did you read the latest Naruto Manga Chapters?! Sasuke, you wanted to kill Sakura! MEAN! ): I'm heartbroken. The story is so screwed now. OH well. Thanks for the reviews! LOVE YA GUYS! Extra thanks to Hoshi Kusumi and Shinrin94-XIII for helping me with this chapter! You rock to the maxxxx! :D HERE'S YOUR CHAPTER!

* * *

"I miss Naruto already." Sakura whined, while sitting on the floor frowning.

"Me too." Suigetsu high-fived her.

"I don't." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"HEY- Oh, I get it. Sasuke here's in denial." Suigetsu grinned.

"Tch. No I'm not. Back to business."

"Sheesh…all he thinks about is business…" Suigetsu muttered as he stood up along with Team Hebi and walked towards where Sasuke was.

"So what now?" Sakura asked, hands on her hips- impatient.

"We head towards the Land of Tea. It's said that Kisame and Itachi were last seen there." Sasuke stated.

"Hey! Isn't that where Idate is!? We could pay him a visit on the way or something!" Sakura smiled. Sasuke muttered a 'no' before leading the team away to their destination.

* * *

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Tsunade screamed as she slammed her fist on her table, which broke in half again. Izumo and Kotetsu, who were at the sides, sighed and muttered "Great…another broken table…"

"What!" Naruto replied, annoyed. Kakashi, who was beside Naruto, sighed upon what was going to happen next.

"Where were you and what did you do?!"

"What do you mean hmm, baa-chan?"

"I won't repeat my question a second time."

"What question?"

"Where were you and what did you do?!"

"You said you wouldn't repeat it!"

"What?!"

"You said you wouldn't repeat the question a second time!"

"So!?"

"Baa-chan's a LIAR!"

"Answer-

"LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR! I'm utterly disappointed in you, baa-chan! To think I looked up to you before as a hokage!"

"Naruto Uzumaki! ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

"… What question?"

With that, Tsunade threw her chair out of the window. Naruto took this opportunity to flee with Kakashi. "Did you just…escape from the hokage's questions?"

"Yup, works EVERY time." Naruto grinned as he walked to his favorite ramen stand with his sensei.

* * *

Team Hebi were jumping from tree to tree, when Karin told Sasuke that she sensed two people coming towards them. Team Hebi came to a complete halt, when Karin mentioned that one of them had high chakra levels and the other was an average ninja. "Do you want to ambush this one?" Suigetsu asked. "They are coming from the direction to Land of Tea, Sasuke-kun!" Karin added on. "Aa. We'll ambush them for information on Kisame and Itachi." Sasuke replied. Sakura, Sasuke and Juugo jumped to the trees on the left side, before masking their chakras and hiding behind the trees. Suigetsu jumped into a nearby bush and masked his chakra. Karin jumped onto a tree branch and hid herself behind the leaves of the tree, then masked her chakra.

"You're so slow!" A man's voice came shouting towards his comrade. This one had high chakra levels.

_That voice sounds familiar… _Sasuke and Sakura thought to themselves.

"Well, it's not MY fault that they assigned you to me!" A female voice came shouting back, louder. Sakura's eyes widened. _That…that voice! The one that caused my painful childhood…Before I even entered the academy…_

_Flashback_

"_HAHAHA you're so weak, huge forehead!" A girl mocked Sakura and laughed. Sakura didn't ever like her childhood, because of the constant bullying she received because of her forehead._

"_Yeah!! A plane could land on that forehead of yours! Hahaha!" Another girl laughed. _

"_I…I…" Sakura stuttered._

"_You what, huh!?" The girl screamed as she pushed Sakura to the floor._

"_You have ugly pink hair and yucky green eyes! Who will like you!?" The girls taunted._

"_Yeah! Don't even try fitting into society with that ugly face of yours and stop eyeing MY Sasuke-kun!" The girl pointed at Sakura accusingly._

"_Since when was I ever yours?" A voice came out. Stepping out of the shadows was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. "S-Sasuke-kun! We-_

"_Don't even bother. Shut up and go away." Sasuke glared at the girls bullying Sakura. The girls quickly ran away in fear._

"_T-thanks…" Sakura stuttered nervously as she tried to get up, falling back while doing so. _

"_Aa." Came the reply from Sasuke as he lent Sakura a helping hand and pulled her up. _

"_Stop being so weak..." Sasuke said as he began to walk away. "By the way… I don't think there's anything wrong with pink hair and green eyes." Sasuke looked back at Sakura with a small smile as he went walking away._

"_Ami, I will be stronger then you one day!" Sakura said, eyes glimmering with motivation._

Ami. The one girl with her gang that ruined almost the whole of Sakura's childhood. The girl who taunted her and made her life miserable every day.

(In case you forgot Ami, go search for her on NarutoPedia or any other websites that have full details of Naruto information. She's the one that Ino threw a flower into her mouth during the flower gathering session in the flashback during Ino and Sakura's chuunin exams battle.)

Sakura took out her gloves from her pouch and started to put them on. Sasuke and Juugo noticed this, and the death aura surrounding her. "Wha- Before Sasuke could question Sakura on what she was about to do, Sakura jumped out from her hiding place and prepared to punch someone. Just at that moment, the two ninja's that Karin sensed came running through. Sakura locked onto the girl and punched her on the face. "KYYAAAA!" The girl went as she flew a few metres away. " Hey! What do you think your- Wait… are you Sakura!?" The man questioned.

"I-Idate?!" Sakura turned towards the man in shock. Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo then emerged from their hiding places.

"Morino. What're you doing here?" Sasuke glared at Idate. "Oh, it's you, Uchiha. You're heading over to the Land of Tea? Ami over there's supposed to escort me to Konoha. The south part of the village is under construction because of the attacks recently, so be sure to not go there." Idate sighed as he explained the many attacks they had been receiving. "Itachi…" Sasuke seethed.  
"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Ami came screaming towards Team Hebi.

"That was for ruining my childhood." Sakura glared. Ami stared at Sakura for awhile before finally registering who Sakura was.

"IT'S YOU, HUGE FOREHEAD!" Ami pointed at Sakura. "Hmph, seems like you still look like a clown don't you? With ugly pink hair and idiotic looking emerald eyes."

"Ami, stop it." Sasuke seethed.

"WHA- HEY! Are you Sasuke-kun?! Hello! How've you been!? Still single?" Ami ran over to where Sasuke was. "Tch, go away." Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. "HEY SASUKE-KUN'S MINE" Karin shouted. Ami walked towards where Karin was and started arguing with her on who Sasuke belonged to.

Sasuke walked over to where Sakura and Idate were talking. "Idate. Who attacked your village?" Sasuke interrupted the conversation between Sakura and Idate.

"Men in…black cloaks with red clouds on them." Idate replied seriously.

"How many?"

"Two. One had blue skin, the other had long hair…and he strangely looked kinda like you…" Idate replied, eyeing Sasuke. "Where were they headed to after destroying the village…?"

"Oh…that I don't know. I only know they were headed towards the west from the Tea Village." Idate scratched his head. Sasuke nodded. "Oh, where's Naruto?" Idate asked. Silence stood between all three of them for a moment. "He…wasn't assigned on the mission we're on." Sakura lied, smiling nervously. "Oh… I see. Do you want us to escort you to the Land of Tea? We still have lots of time left anyway." Idate smiled. Ami shouted a "YEAH! SURE WE'RE FREE!" while looking at Sasuke, grinning. "N-

"Oh sure! The more the merrier!" Suigetsu grinned as he grabbed Sakura's arm and started skipping off. Juugo just followed. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he walked along with his extra company- Idate and Ami. The perfect troublemaking pair.

* * *

"Naruto… I think you should stop eating now… The store seems to be running out of noodles, and you've eaten about 25 bowls!" Kakashi smacked Naruto on the back.

"Arghh… I miss Sakura-chan and Teme! Oh Suigetsu and Juugo too! Not much of Karin though." Naruto whined.

"You haven't told me about your little 'escape' yet…" Kakashi said softly.

"Sakura-chan…she said she wanted to stay with Sasuke and his team, so she can slowly bring him back." Naruto smiled.

"You're just letting her off like that?" Kakashi asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Besides…She'll be fine with Team Hebi. They're a good bunch, though they have a bad motive." Naruto yawned.

"How about Sasuke?"

"Sasuke-teme… he seems warmer, even if it's only by a bit. Sakura-chan will be fine with him."

"What? He's a missing ninja!" Kakashi said with seriousness in his voice.

"Sasuke will take care of Sakura. I trust him. He'll never do anything bad to Sakura. I assure you." Naruto replied confidently.

* * *

"So Sakura! Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Idate asked, smiling.

"Err…no…why?" Sakura asked back.

"Just wondering." Idate grinned. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _There's always a reason for every 'Just wondering'. _

"Sasuke!" Suigetsu shouted.

"Tch. I'm right beside you, stop shouting. What do you want?" Sasuke turned to Suigetsu, annoyed. "Gah, I'm hungry…" Suigetsu grumbled. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "ME TOO!" Sakura raised her hand with a big grin. Chants of "Me too!" Began to come from everyone in his team.

"Go get something to eat then." Sasuke closed his eyes.

"OKAY! Come on, Sakura! Let's go catcha some fish!" Suigetsu said with a huge grin plastered on his face. He locked arms with Sakura and they skipped along away towards the river. "Oi." Sasuke called out. Suigetsu and Sakura froze, turning their heads to look at Sasuke with expecting faces. "Take this two annoying ones with you too." Sasuke pointed at Ami and Karin, who in turn became depressed. "WHAT!?" Sakura and Suigetsu screamed in sadness. "Go." Sasuke ordered. "Sheesh…fine fine." Suigetsu and Sakura rolled their eyes as they dragged their feet, with Ami and Karin sulking behind due to Sasuke's comment. That left Sasuke with Idate and Juugo.

"So…Sasuke. How's life?" Idate smiled.

"…The same."

"Oh…got any girls yet?"

"No."

Juugo stared at the two men talking. What a dead conversation it was. Both of them were glaring at each other for some reason.

"Say! You and Sakura are pretty tight hmm? So, what type of guys does she like?" Idate asked. This got Sasuke to narrow his eyes. _I knew it. _

"How would I know?" Sasuke seethed.

"What's with the attitude huh, Uchiha?" Idate glared. No reply came from Sasuke. Idate decided to push this off his back and asked another question. "Do you think I stand a chance?"

"Do you want an honest answer or a supporting answer?" Sasuke asked back.

"Hmm, maybe both!"

"No, and No." Sasuke 'tch'ed.

_No's not a supporting answer… _Idate thought to himself. Juugo was getting frightened with the tense atmostphere.

"So…how has Sakura bee-

"Quit asking me questions about her. I don't see why you need to know all these stuff." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hey, hey. Uchiha…since when were _we_ on bad terms huh? Why are you giving me this attitude?" Idate asked, annoyed. "Tch. You like Sakura don't you? The whole world gets it." Sasuke snapped.

"Yeah, so what if I do? Don't tell me _you_ are going to get in the way." Idate smirked. Sasuke turned his head away from Idate's face. "Where's your 'No I'm not, hn.' Line hmm?" Idate mimicked Sasuke, which caused Sasuke to turn back to face him and intensify the glare. Right then, Idate grinned. "I knew it. I _just_ knew it! You like her! Since that time when you guys were genin and were assigned to escort me. So many signs of your liking her were shown! Like… ah! When she had an injury, you quickly turned your head to look at her with a concerned face when she screamed! Uchiha, you're _so_ obvious! To think you _still_ like her till now!"

"How annoying." Sasuke rubbed his temples as he said that, interrupting Idate's talking. "Hmph, then **you've got competition**, Uchiha."

"Who said I liked her?" Sasuke said, only to get a reply from Idate that made him very pissed off. "Your actions."

_**How the hell did he find out?! We're SOOO NOT obvious.**_

_Tch…_

_**HAH! So you finally admit you like her hmm!**_

_No I don't._

_**Ah, the child's not admitting it. What's Idate's history? I don't see how he could have found out.**_

_Why would I care? Naruto also found out, and he's simple and stupid._

_**HAH! YOU'RE INDIRECTLY ADMITTING THAT YOU DO LIKE SAKURA-CHAN!**_

_Tch, whatever. Stop being annoying. _

_**Whoohoo! Oh, I get how both of them get it. **_

_What?_

_**You see, this is the theory. "Idiots find out things that normal people would never be able to see."**_

_You're trying to say Idate and Naruto are idiots- making them being able to find out?_

_**Exactly! But wait wait, one question. Why don't you feel angry or jealous or whatever when Sakura goes or hangs with Suigetsu, only when she's with Idate?**_

…_Suigetsu doesn't like her in that way. Her relationship with him is like that of Naruto's._

_**OHHH! SO you only go all jealous when she's with people that like her in THAT way!**_

…

_**I see…that explains everything.**_

"Oi Sasuke! Stop daydreaming. So Ju- Hey! Where'd he go? Juugo!" Idate stood up. Juugo had gone missing. "…He's probably with the birds." Sasuke sighed. "Wuh-what?" Idate scratched his head at Sasuke's mysterious words.

"So…its just you and me huh, Uchiha?" Idate smirked. "Whatever, Morino."

Right then, an entertaining stare battle began.

* * *

"WHOOOO! CANNON BALL!" Suigetsu screamed as he jumped into the river. Sakura giggled. Karin and Ami on the other hand were arguing again about who Sasuke belonged to.

""HE'S MINE, KARIN YOU BAKA!"

"NO, HE'S MINE!"

"I SAW HIM FIRST!"

"I BECAME ALLIES WITH HIM FIRST!"

"YOU HAVE RED HAIR! NO ONE WILL LOVE YOU!"

"YOU HAVE AN UGLY BODY SHAPE; NO ONE WILL EVEN LOOK AT YOU!"

Sakura and Suigetsu rolled their eyes and tried to block out the noise coming from Ami and Karin. "As if Karin wasn't enough…" Suigetsu muttered, before he dove into the river to grab fishes. For every fish that came out of the water, Sakura threw a kunai to it, making it strike the rock beside the river. Suigetsu couldn't bear to see his 'fish friends' get eaten by them, but desperate times call for desperate measures; they were awfully hungry. Soon enough, they had 15 fishes to bring back- enough for 2 each per person. Suigetsu carried 8 while Sakura carried 7 fishes back. Karin and Ami didn't want their hands to get 'dirty and filthy', leaving all the fishes to Sakura and Suigetsu to carry all of them. "HEY! WANNA HAVE A CAMPFIRE!?" Suigetsu suddenly suggested. "Yeah! But how about the marshmallows?" Sakura frowned. "Oh…well… we could always have substitutes! Maybe…fish cubes!" Suigetsu grinned. "Meaning we slice the fishes to cubes and go barbeque them?" Sakura asked. "Yup!" Suigetsu happily shouted. With very big smiles, Sakura and Suigetsu rushed off to meet Sasuke and the rest, with Karin and Ami behind.

"Hey…Let's patch up our relationship shall we? I've got a plan." Ami grinned maliciously.

"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?" Karin asked.

"You know how Sasuke-kun actually kind of hangs with Sakura more then he hangs with us?"

"Well…yeah…actually he does. He's almost_ always_ with her…Like as if he likes her more or something." Karin pouted.

"Let's get rid of Sakura." Ami smirked.

"What? She's not all that bad you know…" Karin replied, remembering the times when Sakura was nice to her.

"Do you want Sasuke-kun or not!? You love him don't you! Sakura's trying to steal him away from us!" Ami shouted, trying to brainwash Karin, which did a great job.

"You're right! LET'S DO IT!" Karin shook hands with Ami on agreement.

_Hah, I'll have Sasuke-kun ALL to myself then! I'll immediately snatch him away once I have him! No way am I going to share him! _Both Ami and Karin thought to themselves.

* * *

With Juugo.

"Hey birdies! Sorry for interrupting you're nest building! Its just that Sasuke and Idate were really scaring me! Shall I help you?" Juugo asked the birds. All the birds did were chirp.

* * *

"YO SASU- Uh…am I interrupting something here…?" Suigetsu stopped in his tracks. Sakura, hearing his words, immediately rushed up to Suigetsu. "Suigetsu! What's happening? Are they fighting? Injured!?" Sakura asked. "No…" Suigetsu replied as he pointed towards Sasuke and Idate. They were lying on the floor…ARM WRESTLING. Both Sakura and Suigetsu gave 'what the freaking hell…" faces. "You're going DOWN Uchiha!" Idate screamed as he pushed his hand down. Sasuke 'tch'ed and pushed it back to his direction of winning.

"Hey! What on earth are you two doing?!" Sakura screamed.

"What does it look like?" Sasuke replied.

"Couldn't you two find a better way to compete?! THIS IS SO BLOODY LAME!" Suigetsu sighed.

"This was the only thing on my mind, so why not give it a go!? Oh and how did you know we were competing?" Idate asked Suigetsu. "Duh… both of you keep glaring at each other, its so obvious!" Suigetsu yawned. This got Sasuke and Idate's full attention. _Did he find out about…us and Sakura? _Both Idate and Sasuke thought in worry to themselves.

"Both of you… just want more fish then the other! Oh don't worry! THE EXTRA FISH IS MINE!" Suigetsu grinned. Sasuke and Idate both sighed in relief. "Okay okay, stop it, guys!" Sakura interrupted Sasuke and Idate's arm wrestling battle by pulling Sasuke up from the floor, followed by Idate. "Sheesh...Idate, you sure remind me of Naruto, just a more childish version." Sakura sighed. "Well, do you like childish people?" Idate smirked. This caused Sasuke to twitch and electrify Idate by putting a finger on Idate's back. "GHHH! WHAT THE! THAT HURT! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Idate screamed at Sasuke in total anger and pain. "Sasuke! What'd you do that for!? Idate's two years older, mind you! Show him some respect!" Sakura hit Sasuke. Sasuke in turn just turned his head away from them and grunted.

"Hey Sakura!" Ami and Karin came running towards them. "What?" Sakura replied.

"Why not come with us to the river to soak our legs? Its been a long day anyway!" Ami smiled.

_Something's fishy here…_Sakura thought to herself, suspicious, though still pushing that thought off her back. "Erm..okay." She replied as she smiled at them and ran towards them. _Maybe they're just trying to be nice for once. _She thought happily to herself. "Can I come with?! I wanna swim!" Suigetsu smiled. "NO! Err…we meant only girls! Yeah!" Karin replied quickly as they ran off with Sakura.

"Suigetsu." Sasuke called out to him, who in turn turned to face Sasuke. "Make a water clone and follow them. Something's up. Hide your chakra." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _I don't think all they want is to soak their legs in the water…If we all go, even if we hide our chakras, Karin would still be able to sense us._ "Hai!" Suigetsu replied, as he made a water clone of himself and it went running after them.

* * *

Me: Whooo! What will happen?

Sakura: I don't know, but something's gonna happen to ME!

Me: Mmhmm, look, I know I said that I'd only update after I get 90 reviews, but its taking forever and I find that that method of getting reviews is kind of lame. :) I'll update when I get at least enough reviews and when I have an Idea for the next chapter, to not disappoint the lovely readers.

Sasuke: Hn.

Me: Say the line, Idate!

Idate: Read, review and give ideas! :D


	12. Chapter 12 Stand a Chance

CHAPTER 12: Stand a Chance

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, the manga and anime would not be so screwed. I think Masashi Kishimoto hates romance stories. Where's the loveee?

* * *

HEYYO! :D GREAT to be back! Sorry for the long update, examinations… I'm so disappointed in Naruto right now. It's like, no chance for SasuSaku at all. GRRR. ROAR! .Angry! What about all the fans?! ): Anyway, HOPE YOU LIKEY THE STORY! :P I think that fanfiction's the only place where SasuSaku would be possible ):

I have a sudden love for Lips of an Angel by Hinder because I sang it in band hero!!! "Oh well, my girl's in, the next room. Sometimes I wish she was you. I guess we never really moved on~ Its really good to hear your voice, say my name it sounds so sweet, coming from the- Okay I'm getting carried away. CONTINUING!

* * *

"Naruto-kun!" A familiar voice called out. Naruto turned around to see Hinata running towards him.

"Yo Hinata! What's up?" Naruto grinned as he waved happily. "T-Tsunade-sama asked me to ask you something…" Hinata stated her purpose. Naruto let out a big sigh, annoyed that Tsunade was still at it. "I'm not telling her." Naruto crossed his arms and showed an annoyed face. Hinata blushed and replied, "Y-you can tell m-me…I won't tell her…I promise." Hinata showed a small smile. Naruto, convinced that Hinata won't tell, pinky promised her and went on to tell Hinata where he had been.

"Well you see. I escaped the village to look for Sasuke and it turned out Sakura was with him…" Naruto started and continued his story, with Hinata listening attentively. "W-what?! Sakura-san wants to stay with h-him?!" Hinata asked in disbelief. "Yeah…Trust me, she'll be fine." Naruto smiled. "Wanna eat ramen? I'm hungry!" Naruto rubbed his stomach. "O-okay!" Hinata replied happily. _M-my first time eating alone with Naruto-kun! _

* * *

"So... the river's over there, why are we headed to the opposite direction from it?" Sakura asked Ami and Karin. Ami and Karin turned to each other before smirking. Ami then put her hand into her weapon pocket, before taking out what looked like an injection capsule and charged towards Sakura. Sakura, unprepared and caught by Ami's element of surprise, couldn't react quickly and was jabbed by the injection capsule.

"Shit!" Sakura cursed out loud, as she began to lose her chakra and energy. She then dropped to the ground, still conscious. "What the hell do you want?!" Sakura shouted in anger. "Oh don't worry…We won't do anything bad to you like injure you or whatever. It'll just waste our time. We were planning on drowning you, but we'll just get wet." Ami laughed. "So what is it you want with me?!" Sakura screamed. "Sakura, shut up!" Karin rolled her eyes. "Anyway, remember our childhood? You see, I actually heard that small conversation between you and Sasuke-kun. He said that he didn't mind your pink hair and green eyes. Well, maybe that was because he thought they matched! So…we're going to dye your hair for you." Ami grinned maliciously.  
"WHAT?! Get away from me!" Sakura widened her eyes. "Hmm…what colour should we dye? Black, brown, purple…" Karin smirked. "Oh right! I remember! It was said that Sasuke-kun liked girls with long hair, and detested girls with brown hair!" Ami nodded her head.

"Those were lies, you idiot!" Sakura interrupted.

"Shut up! They're all true! Even my gang dyed their hair from brown to any other color when they heard of that! He hated girls with brown hair because there was once-

"I don't want to hear that stupid crap! Let me go!" Sakura struggled.

"Now you're getting on my nerves. Karin! Pass me the brown hair dye and pin her down! We're gonna teach this slut a lesson!" Ami instructed. "Pleasured." Karin grinned as she held Sakura to the ground with ease, due to Sakura's lack of energy. "STO-" Before Sakura could scream for help, Karin covered her mouth with a cloth, causing Sakura to make hushed shouts.

"Shit! I've got to alert Sasuke about this!" Suigetsu's clone said softly as he passed the information he had through his mind to the real Suigetsu's mind before he deformed, leaving a puddle of water on the ground.

* * *

"SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE!" Suigetsu suddenly shouted screaming from where he was sitting, next to Sasuke, after getting the information from his clone. "What?" Sasuke turned to him, annoyed that he's ear drums had almost burst.

"Sakura! They they…They're…Ami and Karin! They're- "Calm down, sheesh! We don't get you!" Idate rolled his eyes. After a brief moment, Suigetsu continued.

"Ami and Karin are doing something to Sakura!" Suigetsu screamed.

"DOING WHAT?!" Idate sighed.

"Oh…that I don't know…I was distracted by a cute little dog next to me. All I know's that Sakura's drained from her energy and is pinned to the floor." Suigetsu smiled, nervous. Sasuke and Idate immediately stood up and rushed to where the girls were. "HEY! WAIT! They're not at the river… they're at the south from the river." Suigetsu shouted, running after them, leaving Juugo behind.

"It's like I don't even exist." Juugo sighed, as he ran after them.

* * *

"She looks…. Kinda nice with brown hair…" Ami stared in disbelief. "This won't do! Sasuke-kun would still be attracted to her!" Karin twitched. "In that case…Let's cut her hair, to a length that would be so horribly ugly, that even Suigetsu won't be able to look at her as a friend!" Ami smirked. Karin laughed and agreed. She passed Ami a pair of scissors. "MMM!HMM!" Sakura tried to scream. The scissors got closer and closer to her now brown hair, when suddenly, Suigetsu came into the picture.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Suigetsu shouted as he jumped in and kicked Ami away. "OUCHH!" Ami screamed in pain. Karin just stood there annoyed that they were interrupted, but scared of the punishment they would receive. Idate just stood there thinking that Sakura looked great in brown hair. Right behind Suigetsu was a very angry Sasuke. He glanced down to the floor where Sakura was and widened his eyes. He stood there in shock before registering what had happened and Sakura's hair colour. _First was the chuunin exams when she had to cut her hair for me. Now it's BROWN!?_

"Which one of you did it?" Sasuke seethed as he looked at both Ami and Karin.

"S-SHE DID IT!" "NO, I DIDN'T!" "STOP LYING!" Ami and Karin both shouted at the same time.  
"I'll handle them, Sasuke." Suigetsu grinned. He made two water clones and they began beating both Ami and Karin up. "Isn't that too much?" Idate scratched his head. "No, I've always wanted to do this! HOW EXCITING!" Suigetsu jumped up and down in joy as shouts of pain came from Ami and Karin. Sasuke went over to where Sakura was and used his chidori to cut open the chakra strings. "You okay?" He asked softly. "Yeah, sure. I think brown hair can suit me though…" Sakura smiled. "Tch…dye it back. You look nicer with pink hair." Sasuke stood up. "Well…I don't think having brown hair is such a bad idea, since many people find it weird looking and retarded." Sakura grinned. "I don't." Sasuke briefly answered as he walked away. _What did he mean by that? He must really hate brown hair then…_ Sakura thought to herself as she ran up to Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke! Is it true that you hate brown hair? Or that you liked girls with long hair when we were younger?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the right.  
"Tch, no. Where'd you get all that crap from?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Ohh…That means I didn't cut my hair for nothing during the chuunin exams then! I thought that I would not **stand a chance** and slightly gave up on loving you!" Sakura smiled, though blushed afterwards after realizing what she had just said. "Hn." Came Sasuke's reply.

_Inner Sasuke and Sasuke_

…_That was…_

_**SO SWEET! I mean come on, you were touched weren't you! She sacrificed having you not like her for your life! She sacrificed her hair! AWW!**_

_..._

"I mean…sorry…It was a slip out. Oh but don't worry…I don't really like you in _that_ way anymore, rest assure." Sakura smiled, embarrassed.

Inner Sakura and Sakura

_**You don't like him in that way anymore? You've got to be kidding me, liar.**_

_I don't! At least I think I don't…_

_**Psh, really. **_

With Sasuke and Inner Sasuke

_She doesn't like me in that way anymore._

_**She's got to be lying! COME ON! This can't be happening! NOOOO! SASUKE! YOU LOST YOUR CHANCE! YOU STUPID CHILD!**_

_Tch._

_**JUST KIDDING! Go win her back, you idiot!**_

"SASUKE-KUN!" A high pitched voice came out. Ami was running towards them.

"What." He glared at her.

"Well…Karin and I were wondering…What types of girls do you like?" Ami grinned.

"…You have no business knowing."

"B-BUT SASUKE-KUN! MY LOVE FOR YO-"

"Not interested."

"But I just-"

"No."

"Maybe if-"

"Go away."

With that, a pouting Ami left Sakura and Sasuke. "That was mean…" Sakura muttered. "I heard that." Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You were supposed to…" Sakura looked away, disgusted. "Good you don't treat me that way; otherwise, I'd punch your face." Sakura glared at Sasuke. "That's one of the things that makes me not treat you that way. You're not like the other girls." Sasuke smirked, walking away from her.

"H-huh? Wuh-what? DO YOU MEAN IT IN A 'I'M A TOMBOY' WAY?! YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" Sakura shouted in anger.

_**Inner Sasuke and Inner Sakura: She still doesn't get it… -sigh-**___

* * *

"HINATA! Lunch with you was great! Thanks for treating me to ramen!" Naruto grinned cheekily.

"N-no problem…" Hinata smiled.

"We should do this more often! Hmm what to do now, what to do-AHHH! I GOT AN IDEA!" Naruto shouted and started jumping around. "W-what is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"You see, I got walkie talkies! I wonder if Sasuke and his team still have it! That way, we can communicate now! Wanna try?" Naruto said in excitement as he took out the walkie talkie form his pocket.

"HELLO? HELLO?" Naruto screamed into it. For a while, no sound came out until…

"_Tch…you're so noisy. What do you want?" _Sasuke's annoyed voice came from the walkie talkie. Turns out, he's walkie talkie was the only one that could connect with Naruto's!

"YES! THIS THING STILL WORKS!" Naruto screamed happily.

"_Hn. State your purpose or I'm turning this thing off." _Sasuke said in an annoyed tone.

"HEY HEY HEY! Why're you so mean to me! I wanted to talk to you, that's all! That's what best buds are for! Come on! Hear me out!" Naruto begged over the walkie talkie. _"…"_

"I TAKE THAT AS A YES!" Naruto grinned.

"So you see…Hey Sasuke, you listening?" Naruto asked.

"_Aa."_

"You know, you know what happened today?!"

"_Aa."_

"You see, I was at the ramen stand with Hinata!"

"_Aa."_

"AND AND AND, I ordered Miso soup ramen with LOTSA pork inside!"

"_Aa."_

"OHH and, I asked pops over there to take out those disgusting vegetables!"

"_Aa."_

"And then, after I ate that bowl, I was STILL hungry!"_  
"Aa."_

"So I ordered another bowl!"

"_Aa."_

"AND ANOTHER BOWL!"

"_Aa."_

"AND ANOTHER BOWL! Oh and 8 more!"

"_Aa." _

"Then I realized… I didn't have enough money to pay for it."

"_Aa."_

"SO HINATA PAID FOR ME AND SHE SAID IT WAS HER TREAT!"

"_Aa."_  
"How nice is that?!"

"_Aa."_

"Why do I have a feeling that you're either not paying attention or listening to what I'm saying?!"

"_Aa."_

"Sasuke…?"

"_Aa."_

"…SO I HEARD SAKURA-CHAN WAS RAPED!"

"_Aa-WHAT?" _

"HAHA GOTCHAAA! Loser! Talk to ya later!" Naruto laughed as he turned the walkie talkie off.

* * *

…_What an idiot._

_**You're even more of one. You fell for that! HAHAHAHHAA WHAT A LOSER, SASUKE!**_

_Tch, whatever. _

"Actually, you look pretty nice with brown hair! It won't matter if you don't feel like dying it back!" Suigetsu smiled at Sakura, as he stood with one leg on Karin's head, and the other on Ami's. They were both knocked out cold. Sasuke was going to electrocute them but had Suigetsu to hold him back.

"Really? Sasuke said to dye it back to pink though…" Sakura tilted her head. "Maybe Sasuke has an obsession with pink…" Suigetsu said as he grinned towards Sasuke, who in turn rolled his eyes. "No. I just think she looks better with her natural hair color, that's all." He replied impassively. "Oi, we're wasting time. Time to move off to the Land of Tea." Sasuke started walking. "Hai, hai…" Sakura, Suigetsu, Juugo and Idate replied. Idate and Juugo had to go through the trouble of carrying Karin and Ami on their backs respectively.  
"So, Sakura!" Idate grinned as he caught up with her.

"Yup! Oh, so you got the trouble of carrying Karin eh?" Sakura laughed.

"Hahaha, yeah. Don't you hate her or something for doing stuff like this to you?"

"Nahh, its fine with me." Sakura smiled.

"Hey I was wondering…Like, wanna go out sometime?" Idate asked her seriously.

"Uh, as in a friend to friend date? Fine with me!" Sakura replied.

"No no, like you know…those-

"Those what?" Sasuke suddenly appeared walking next to Idate.

"Why? Got a problem with what I'm about to say?" Idate glared at him.  
"Tch, why would I care?"

"Then back off."

"Make me." With that, both of them glared at each other for awhile, before Idate spoke up. His words made everyone sweatdrop. "Let's race to the Land of Tea! Loser has to do favors for the other!" After that sentence, Idate dropped Karin, got into position along with Sasuke and they both started running. "HEY! WHAT ABOUT KARIN THE SLUT!?" Suigetsu screamed in agony. "Sorry Suigetsu, I guess it's up to you!" Sakura giggled. "B-BUT YOU HAVE SUPER STRENGTH!" "Well, I just got my powers drained AND I'm a girl. Be a gentleman now, yes?" Sakura tried to hold back her laughter. Suigetsu muttered a "This is disgusting" before carrying Karin in his arms.

* * *

"Better not use your teleporting thing on this race, otherwise, *pant* Sakura's MINE!" Idate said while running. Sasuke did not reply and continued running while panting heavily. _Just awhile more! _Both of them thought to themselves.

* * *

"It's been an hour! I'm so dead tired! This woman's as heavy as a hippopotamus AND an elephant weights' added together!" Suigetsu whined. "The Land of tea is just up ahead, Suigetsu. Keep up the good work!" Sakura cheered him on. "Ami doesn't weigh a thing." Juugo blinked his eyes. After a few minutes, they all arrived in the Land of Tea to see both Sasuke and Idate dead tired lying down on the floor. "Sasuke! Idate! You guys okay?!" Sakura shouted as she ran towards them. Both of them, hearing Sakura's voice, immediately stood up and pretended that they did not break a sweat.

"OBVIOUSLY I'M FINE!" Idate scratched his head, while his legs wobbled due to his major exhaustion. "Hmph, I'm fine." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura, annoyed that both of them were so fake, pushed both of them down with a finger. Both of them immediately hit the ground out of the stress on their legs. "Both of you are exhausted! We need to get a place to rest in… Idate, are there any hotels around here?" Sakura asked. "Ah, yeah there's one up ahead! I can get an extremely big room to fit all of us inside." Idate smiled. "Oh by the way, Uchiha, I WON THE RACE! HAH! You're my slave for the rest of the day!" Idate did a victory dance while lying down, but stopped when he suddenly lost consciousness due to the extreme exhaustion.

"Hmph, what a loser…losing consciousness so- Sasuke trailed off in his words as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness. "Both of them lost consciousness…how are we going to carry them now?" Sakura sighed. "I can carry both Sasuke and Idate if you're willing to carry both Ami and Karin, Suigetsu. Ami's really light." Juugo suggested. "WHA- Hey…this could work out! Hey Sakura, give me a hand here." Suigetsu grinned. With that, Sakura tied Karin's hair into a knot on Suigetsu's left leg, and Ami's hair on his right leg and Suigetsu walked off dragging both of them with his legs. Juugo carried Idate and was about to carry Sasuke when Sakura stopped him. "It's okay, you look exhausted too. I'll help with dragging Sasuke there, whether he gets injured on the way or not." Sakura grinned. Juugo nodded his head and walked off, while Sakura rested Sasuke's right arm on her shoulder, put her left hand on his waist and dragged him there. (Like the chuunin exams.)

"Wow, he isn't as heavy as I thought he was…" Sakura said to herself as she followed Juugo and Suigetsu around, trying to find the hotel Idate was mentioning.

"I see they're pretty close to finding us now…" A sinister voice said.  
"We'll see what they have up their sleeve." Another replied back.

* * *

"Yeah! So it's a room for err…1,2,3,4,5,6,7…7 people! Wait could we please let Ami and Karin sleep outside?" Suigetsu whined. "No! They'll catch a cold." Sakura glared at Suigetsu. They confirmed their rooms and got their keys.

"Wah…Sasuke's weight is starting to hurt my shoulder…" Sakura muttered. "…Who asked you to carry me in the first place…" A voice came out. Sakura looked towards Sasuke to see that he had already woken up from his unconsciousness and was staring at her with tired eyes. "How long have you been awake?" Sakura glared. "…Since half of the journey to this hotel." Sasuke replied, afterwards, being dropped to the floor by Sakura. "Why didn't you say so earlier?! MY SHOULDER BURNNNSS!" Sakura pointed at Sasuke accusingly. "I wanted to see how long you'd last dragging me to the hotel." Sasuke smirked as he stood up and wiped the dust off his sleeves. "YOU REALLY GET ON MY NERVES! ARGH!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, it's a room for 7 right? Let's go." Sasuke commanded.

"How about…these three?" Suigetsu pointed to the floor, where Ami, Karin and Idate were still lying unconscious. Sasuke thought about it for a while before replying, "Leave them here, they'll find a way to come up on their own." "That's so heartless!" Sakura whined. "I'll put one set of the keys in one of their pockets, happy?" Sasuke rolled his eyes before putting a set of keys in Idate's pocket.

* * *

"Sasuke." "Sasuke~." "Sasuke." "Sasuke~." "Sasuke." "Sasuke~." "Sasuke." "Sasuke.~"

"What?!" Sasuke screamed at Suigetsu and Sakura, who have been chanting his name for almost 10 minutes now. "You're hair is awfully black!" They both said together, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Suigetsu, Sakura." Sasuke called out to them, who in turn turned to him expectingly. "Both of you are annoying." Sasuke glared.

"Tch, Whatever!" Both Suigetsu and Sakura imitated Sasuke before laughing loudly and continuously.

"…This is why both of them shouldn't be in the same room." Sasuke sighed. Soon enough, everyone went to sleep and in the middle of the night, Karin, Ami and Idate came into the room, before collapsing on the floor in deep slumber.

* * *

Sakura yawned as she woke up. It was 6 am and she couldn't get back to sleep. Everyone else was asleep in the room, or so it seems. She went into the bathroom, only to see Sasuke inside washing his face.

"Good morning Sasuke!" Sakura smiled as she yawned again.

"Aa."

"Right…What a conversation starter you are." Sakura rolled her eyes and used sarcasm in her voice. Sasuke stared at her for awhile before dragging her out of the bathroom, and out of the hotel room. "Hey! Where're we going?! Where're you taking me?!" Sakura struggled to get out of Sasuke's grasp.  
"We're going to buy pink hairdye." Sasuke merely replied as he continued dragging her. "Where on earth would we find pink hairdye at this hour?!" Sakura asked. "There's a shop down the street that sells beauty products. I took a walk yesterday." Sasuke replied as he continued walking with Sakura in silence until they reached the shop.

They picked out a tube of pink hairdye that was the exact same colour as Sakura's natural hair color and went to the cashier to pay. "WAIT!" Sakura suddenly shouted as she rushed to the hairdye section again to pick out something, and then went to the makeup section to get something else. She then ran back to where Sasuke was at the cashier. "Yellow Hairdye and Eyeliner! What Suigetsu needs to be transformed into Naruto!" She grinned as she pushed the two items to the cashier to pay. Sasuke looked at her, twitching, before paying the extra amount.

When they reached the hotel, everyone else was awake and Sakura went into the bathroom with the pink hairdye. Idate ran in and offered his services to her of helping her dye her hair. Sakura smiled while agreeing and Idate went off to work. Suddenly, Sasuke pushed Idate away and snatched the hair dye from him. "I'll do it." He glared at Idate, before helping Sakura apply the pink dye. "Uchiha, remember our bet yesterday? The _loser_ has to do what the winner wants him to do, so _back off_." Idate smirked, causing Sasuke to twitch and mutter a 'Whatever' before walking out of the bathroom. Idate continued dying Sakura's hair until it turned back to her normal cherry pink. Sasuke seemed really pleased about it, though he tried to hide the 'pleased' part of his emotions.

"HEY HEY! THANKS SOOO MUCH FOR GETTING ME THE YELLOW HAIR DYE AND EYELINERS! LET'S TRY IT ON NOW!" Suigetsu shouted in joy to Sakura. "Let's save it for later when you've got the costume, kay?" Sakura smiled. Suigetsu in turn frowned and agreed. "What now, Sasuke?" Juugo asked.

"We're finding Kisame and Itachi." Sasuke seethed and the whole aura around him turned dark. Everyone nodded in fear as they listened to Sasuke brief them about the battle ahead of them.

* * *

Me: Is this my worst chapter, or my worst chapter? Trick question gets a trick answer: It IS my most HORRIBLE WORST CHAPTER in the whole story. Sadded. "If you asked me if I love him, I'd lie~"

Sasuke: …She's still singing.

Me: "I don't want another pretty face, I don't want just anyone to hold~"

Sasuke: …

Me: "I'll give you my dirty little secret, don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret! My dirty little secret, who has to know? When we live such fragile lives it's the best way we survive~"

Sakura: She's like a radio! One song after another…

Me: "Baby are you down down down down down, down~"

Sakura: Okay, okay ENOUGH! Ami, you say the line.

Ami: Read- I love Sasuke- Review –I love Sasuke- and give suggestions –I love Sasuke!- KYAA!

Sasuke: …Your love is not appreciated, at all.


	13. Chapter 13 Reinforcements

CHAPTER 13: Reinforcements.

Disclaimer: Hi. Naruto= Masashi Kishimoto's. Get the simple math?

Hello! Looks like SASUSAKU ain't happening in Naruto now eh? If it did, I'd go all… "!" and jump around my whole house and then I'll go to the nearby shopping mall, screaming down from the fifth floor "I LOVE YOU MASHASHI KISHIMOTO-SAN!" Oh, and let me tell you this – That's not _all _I'm going to do ;)

Thank you for the reviews and to one of the reviewers who gave me constructive criticism. I WILL try my utmost best to improve my vocabulary! :D

_**THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!**_

**I have a question for you readers : Should I write a sequel to this story?**

Here are the 'bad' points about this situation.

1) If I end the story like this, I'd be awfully sad because I'd not have the joy of writing this story anymore and receiving reviews. I'd write a new one, but I'm not sure if the readers would like the new one…

2) If I continue with a sequel, WHAT THE HELL DO I WRITE?! XD Well I could write about life in Konoha and like "Connect" another plot to this story, but what do you guys think? Give me ideas, yeah? Oh and…would you _READ_ the Sequel at all?

What do you guys think? PLEASE Share with me through reviews, or I'd be at lost of what to do. I think I'd go with either majority or my heart ;)

* * *

"What was that?" Sakura shivered at the suddenly cold weather.

"It's the wind. It's speaking to us." Juugo answered her.

"Well…what's it saying?" Sakura wondered out loud.

"I don't know. I don't speak wind." Juugo smiled, leaving Sakura confused. She then turned her attention to Sasuke. "Sasuke…" Sakura called out, afraid of the now tensed up Uchiha. Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye, still jumping from tree to tree. "Are you _that _excited for this encounter? You're not yourself at all." Sakura asked meekly. "This is what I've waited for all these years. He caused me my painful life, and I'm going to end his." Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "It actually depended on how you decided to live your life in the first place…not everything lies in revenge…" Sakura muttered, jumping ahead of Sasuke. Sasuke unfortunately heard that and got really pissed, breaking every tree branch he jumped on. He finally picked up his pace and jumped at the same pace as Sakura.

"Sakura. You have no idea how I feel, so stop talking like as if you know everything." Sasuke spat out. "Revenge does not solve anything." Sakura glared. "It does in situations like these." Sasuke growled. "Or does it?!" Sakura shouted at him in rage. "Woh woh, hey cool off now, you two!" Suigetsu went between them, pushing Sasuke by the waist away.

Everyone had come to a complete stop.

"Hey you idiot! Stop irritating Sasuke-kun and let him do what he wants!!" Ami glared at Sakura. "I'll do what I want!" Sakura shouted at Ami as she stomped off.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Sasuke asked in anger. "It's none of your bloody business!" Sakura glared at Sasuke, as she continued walking away. "Sakura! Wait for me! Where're you going?" Suigetsu caught up with Sakura.  
"I'm going to find Itachi, and KILL him!" Sakura shouted aloud, loud enough for Sasuke to hear and widen his eyes. "I dare you to." He seethed. "Oh look, I DARE TO!" Sakura screamed as she ran off, with Suigetsu running after her asking her to wait up. Sasuke was going to chase after her to hold her back from doing what she was about to do when Idate decided to butt in. "Uchiha! You better not go after her!" Idate pointed at Sasuke accusingly. "Who died and made you _queen_?!" Sasuke snapped. "OI! First of all, I'm not a queen, but a KING! Second of all, the bet we made about falling whatever the other says!!" Idate gritted his teeth. "…Fine. Leave them be. Sakura will never live up to what she says anyway!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hmph, are you so sure about that? Well, because I'm not." Idate muttered.

* * *

"Did you get Sasuke's walkie talkie?" Sakura whispered to Suigetsu.

"Yes, here." Suigetsu replied as he passed it to Sakura.

_Flashback from just now:_

"_Revenge does not solve anything." Sakura glared. "It does in situations like these." Sasuke growled. "Or does it?!" Sakura shouted at him in rage. "Woh woh, hey cool off now, you two!" Suigetsu went between them, pushing Sasuke by the waist away. Sasuke's walkie talkie was clipped to his belt around his waist, and Suigetsu discreetly snatched it away while pushing Sasuke and put it into his weapon pouch. Sakura had told him to do so, in case things went haywire during the encounter with Itachi so that Naruto would be informed and would send reinforcements, or tell the Hokage. _

* * *

"Shikamaru…" Ino called out to her teammate, who was lying on a field staring at the clear blue sky. Shikamaru opened his eyes and turned to look at Ino. "What now, troublesome woman?" He asked, as he turned back to cloud watching. "Could I… talk to you for a while?" She asked. "What's wrong? You're never this gentle." Shikamaru smirked, as he signaled for Ino to lie next to him on the field. Ino just did as she was signaled and laid next to him.

"You know…this might be very sudden since Sakura has been missing from the village for a very long time now…But, I was not informed of what happened to her. Maybe you might know? I was just a bit…worried." Ino said sadly.

"What, you miss her? Never thought you would since she was your rival and all." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I do. Happy? So do you know anything or not?" Ino twitched, being the impatient girl she was. "Well, you see. Naruto told me about it…She's with Sasuke now." Shikamaru sighed. "WHAT?!" Ino sat up, with really wide eyes. "Isn't Sasuke-kun a missing ninja now?! Has she gone nuts?! How could she do that?! Why?! Was she killed by Sasuke?! Wh-" "Sheesh, calm down, woman! How troublesome…" "Explain every speck of detail to me." Ino calmed down. "I think it'd be better if Naruto over there told you himself." Shikamaru sat up and pointed towards Naruto, who was walking towards them with a serious but worried look plastered on his face.

"Shikamaru, we need to talk, at the hokage's tower." Naruto stated.

* * *

"Have you told Naruto about Sasuke yet?" Suigetsu walked towards Sakura, who was holding the walkie talkie. "Hai. I told him that Sasuke was going to find Itachi, and that he might have to prepare a group to come help us in our time of need. It's going to take pretty long coming here, so he has to head out as soon as possible."

"What was his reaction?" Suigetsu asked.

"Ahah, you wouldn't want to know. It was all ramblings and nonsense. But, he's gonna get the group ready and going to report this to the Hokage." Sakura smiled. "I see. Let's head off then?" Suigetsu walked off with Sakura following behind.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Both Shikamaru and Ino screamed in shock. "Yes. Uchiha Sasuke is going to encounter Itachi any day from now, or any hour. Plus, Sakura _is_ with him." Tsunade turned to glare at Naruto, who looked away nervously. "Naruto had told me that he actually secretly left the village to look for Sakura, and found out that she was with Sasuke. He and Sakura communicated through a walkie talkie and he found out from her that they were encountering an Akatsuki member at that moment of time. We need to send a group of chuunins there to serve as **reinforcements** as soon as possible." Tsunade continued.

"Why Chuunins, Tsunade-sama? Not Jounins or ANBU that would take care of the situation easily?" Ino asked.

"Sasuke and you guys are all friends. Friends help each other when they're in need. I believe you guys would work perfectly well with Sasuke as a team, as compared to Jounins and ANBU. You'd even risk your lives for him, am I not wrong?" Tsunade smirked. "Thanks, baa-chan…" Naruto said softly,smiling.

"I've already got you guys a leader." Tsunade said as she pointed towards the window. There 'poofed' a Kakashi squatting on the window frame, smiling. "I trust that he would take good care of all of you. Now, Naruto. Who are you choosing to be in your group?" Tsunade asked.

"Who is available?"

"Let's see… We have Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, TenTen, Lee, Hinata and Neji. Neji's a jounin but I think you get my point. The rest are out on missions. Take your pick." Tsunade answered.

"I'll take all of them." Naruto said confidently. "What?! Explain." Tsunade twitched.

"We'll need distraction teams in case extra enemies appear, so that we would get to Sasuke quicker." Naruto grinned, as he continued. "Ino serves as our team's only medical ninja, Shikamaru's the smart ass, TenTen, Lee and Neji work well as a team and Hinata, well, I think I'd work well with her." Naruto scratched his head.

"I see. Very well then. You'll head out two hours from now! Dismissed!" Tsunade ordered.

"Hai!" Kakashi, Ino, Shikamaru and Naruto saluted.

* * *

"Uchiha!" Idate exclaimed. "What?! I'm right next to you, there's no need for you to shout." Sasuke fixed his glare at Idate. Idate snarled before saying, "Aren't you worried about Sakura and Suigetsu at all?! They're your teammates and you're just going to leave them be?!"

"Sakura has Suigetsu. He'll protect her." Sasuke answered.

"How about Suigetsu, hmm? I never asked you specifically about Sakura's safety, but you just unknowingly blurted out your one and only first thought- Sa-ku-ra! That's another clue to showing you like her!" Idate exclaimed, pointing his finger at Sasuke, feeling superior.

"He never said that!!! HE WILL NEVER LIKE SAKURA!" Ami shrieked, with Karin supporting her statement by nodding vigorously.

"…Whatever, I never asked you two. Anyway Sasuke. Aren't you afraid that Suigetsu would not be able to protect Sakura?" Idate questioned further.

"You're so freaking annoying! I already put a tracking device on her, okay!? Happy?! Just shut your bloody mouth for once!" Sasuke barked. "AHAHAH, what tracking device?!" Idate grinned.

"…I thought I told you to shut up."

"Not until you tell me~!"

"……Fine. The tracking device was put on her because she always gets into trouble. My Tracker remote here will beep when blood is shed from her skin and tell me her exact location and other information. That'll mean that she's injured and engaged in battle." Sasuke sighed after explaining to Idate. Idate in turn smirked and said to himself, "So you _do_ care."

* * *

"I sense two coming now. Shall I be the distraction? I'll get a few affiliations with the Akatsuki to help out too." An ominous voice asked.

"…I'm fine with it."

"Okay then, you go off first. I'll handle these two."

* * *

"This is so freaking annoying!!! We've been trying to find Itachi for hours and I just cant seem to detect any chakras heading this way! I'm DYING!" Sakura whined while walking aside a river.

"You were actually serious about battling Itachi?" Suigetsu asked in disbelief.

"Of course. I'm a girl that does what she says she would." Sakura beamed.

_I'm just afraid of what might happen to us during the battle…Itachi Uchiha's a tough one._ Suigetsu thought to himself nervously.

"Well then…to get to Itachi, you'll have to get by me." A menacing voice came out of nowhere.

"What the?! Where on earth?! I didn't even sense any chakras!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh crap…" Suigetsu cursed.

Suddenly, water from all places, be it the sky, the river, puddles or simply water in the air began fusing together and forming a human figure. Slowly, the figure turned into a human body.

"An Akatsuki member!" Sakura said to herself.

"My, my. Don't I recognize you, Hozuki Suigetsu." The Akatsuki member grinned menacingly.

"Ah, who would forget you, Hoshigaki Kisame?" Suigetsu smirked.

* * *

Naruto, Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, TenTen, Hinata , Lee and Neji were already assembled at the gates of Konoha with all their weapons and items ready to go. The only person missing was…the leader.  
"Ahh! I can't take this! Kakashi-sensei is ALWAYS late!!!" Naruto groaned.

"Hah, Guy Sensei never does this! He's like a flower blooming, always ready for action and never late!" Lee smiled a toothy grinned, proud of Guy sensei.

"Whatever, bushy brows…" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Oh! I'm going to see my beautiful cherry blossom Sakura-san! I bet she has even grown more beautiful and gorgeous that the brings ultimate joy to the power of youth!" Lee praised Sakura.

"…Who ever said she was yours? She obviously belongs to Sasuke…" Naruto muttered. Just then, Kakashi appeared. "POOF!"

"Hey there! Sorry I'm late, its just that I saw this old woman-"

"LIAR! You're LATE!" Everyone except Sai, Shikamaru, Hinata and Neji screamed accusingly.

"I'm not late! Everyone else is just simply early." Kakashi said matter-of-factly, causing everyone to sigh in annoyance.

"Anyway, not wasting time. We're gonna head out now. Our motive is to help out Sasuke's team, for he is your friend. This is a important mission and every single one of you must come back alive. I'll give you your groupings in case we have to be split up for whatever reason." Kakashi started.

"Every group will have a tracker of some sort. Some groups would be the distractions of unwanted enemies, so take note. The first group would consist of TenTen, Lee and Neji. Neji's the tracker. The second group would consist of Naruto, Hinata and Ino. The third group would consist of Shikamaru, Sai and myself. Ino's with Naruto because he gets the most injuries in the whole of this group." Kakashi finished.

"Ready?" Naruto looked at each one of his group mates. All of them nodded confidently.

"Let's go!" Naruto ran off.

"Wait, where're we off to again?" Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to ask. Everyone sighed at Naruto's stupidity. Suddenly, Sakura's voice came out from Naruto's walkie talkie.

"_Naruto! You've got to hurry! Suigetsu and I are battling some Akatsuki member named Kisame and Suigetsu's having quite a hard time fighting him! We need help!"_ Sakura shrieked.

"Wuh-what?! Kakashi! It's Sakura! She took Sasuke's walkie talkie! Talk to her, it's a CRISIS!" Naruto restlessly passed the walkie talkie to Kakashi.

"Sakura! Quickly get Sasuke!" Kakashi ordered.

"_Can't! He's not with- AHHHHHH!"_ Sakura's connection was suddenly cut off.

"Oh no. We've got to hurry." Kakashi alerted everyone.

* * *

"Water Style: Water Prison jutsu!" Kisame performed hand seals and caught Sakura off guard. "CRAP!" Sakura tried to hold as much air in her mouth as she could. "Shoot! Water Clone jutsu!" Suigetsu performed hand seals and out came a clone.

"Hah, how's that going to work? I always thought water style versus water style was going to be interesting, but I'm proven wrong, aren't I? Its hell boring!" Kisame mocked Suigetsu.

"Whatever." Suigetsu rolled his eyes.  
"Water Clone Jutsu!" Kisame shouted as a water clone appeared next to him.

"Let's make it clone against clone, now shall we?" Kisame smirked.

Suigetsu didn't say a word and both he and his clone started running towards Kisame and his clone. "You're going to attack me heads on? What a stupid move!" Kisame continued mocking. Suigetsu's clone used his decapitating knife to slice through Kisame's clone and Suigetsu was going to use his decapitating sword too.

He was going to slice through Kisame, but Kisame used his Samehada sword to slice Suigetsu in half. Sakura widened her eyes at this sight and started 'screaming' in horror in the water. Suddenly, "POOF!" Suigetsu disappeared. It was a clone! Kisame realized that and anxiously looked around to find the real Suigetsu, when Suigetsu suddenly jumped out of the water below Kisame and punched him straight in the face.

"HOW THE HELL!?" Kisame shouted as he was blown off by Suigetsu's punch. His hand released Sakura's water prison and set her free. Sakura inhaled as much oxygen as she could. "Suigetsu! You scared the hell out of me! How?! When!?" Sakura hit Suigetsu on his arm. "Oww…it was when he captured you in the water prison. When he wasn't paying attention, I quickly made two clones and dove into the water and waited there till opportunity struck." Suigetsu smiled intelligently. Sakura gave him a very impressed look. "Caught ya off guard, suckers!" Kisame yelled from a distance. What Suigetsu and Sakura didn't see were the shuriken coming their way. "Suigetsu! Watch out!!" Sakura alerted Suigetsu as she pushed him away from harm's way, but wasn't so fortunate. One of the shuriken had hit her thighs, causing her to kneel down in pain. It was bleeding profusely. "Sakura! Are you okay!? I'll cover you!" Suigetsu quickly stood in front of Sakura in defence mode. "Yeah, I'll just heal this…It just hurts a little." Sakura answered.

* * *

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" The remote strapped to Sasuke's palm was suddenly beeping. "She's injured!" Sasuke widened his eyes as he quickly looked at his remote. Idate, Ami, Karin and Juugo ran towards him too. The remote read: Sakura Haruno. Injured- bleeding profusely on thigh. Enemy level: Very Strong- Water type. Location: 2-3 km North East.

"They're not battling Itachi. Instead, they're battling…Kisame. Hoshigaki Kisame. We've got to get there as soon as possible!" Sasuke commanded as he quickly jumped from tree to tree._ .._Sasuke then thought to himself. _Something's wrong. Wait. WHERE'S MY WALKIE TALKIE!? _

* * *

Kakashi and the group were jumping through the forest when Kakashi suddenly felt presences and told the team to halt.

"I see you've figured out that we're here, eh?" The enemy came out of his camouflage in the trees. "It's so obvious… What type of affiliations does the Akatsuki have?!" Kakashi muttered. "We heard that! We're only affiliates of the affiliates of the Akatsuki, so we're indirectly affiliated!" The enemy shouted. "…Amateurs. Neji, TenTen, Lee! You're the first group aren't you? Handle this bunch. It'll take you only awhile and it'll be a breeze. Catch up soon." Kakashi ordered as he left with the rest of the group. Soon enough, a group of 60 men came out of the forest, confident and arrogant looking. "Hah, just what we needed- training." TenTen grinned as all three of them ran towards all the men.

* * *

Me: Short Chapter but many point of views? Yes. Sorry): I had limited time to write! Ahhh this story's coming to an end soon. Be sure to answer my question up above the author's note saying "THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!" Hope you liked this kind of boring chapter. Battles up ahead. –unenthusiasm- Whoop de doo.

Kakashi: Ahhuh.

Me: Finally got tired of your book?

Kakashi: Nope. Never did, never will.

Me: Alright, whatever you say.

Kakashi: Read, Review and give ideas ;)

**REMEMBER TO ANSWER THE "THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!" QUESTION UP ABOVE IN YOUR REVIEWS! It really is important):**


	14. Chapter 14 Midst of a Battle

CHAPTER 14: Midst of a Battle

Disclaimer: Naruto= Mashashi Kishimoto. Get the simple math?

* * *

Hey there dudes (though I highly doubt there's any) and dudettes!!! :D I'm so happy you're reading YET another chapter of my story! Hmm, I think this story's gonna end soon ): I've got to think up of a sequel in that case! :O YES, you're right! I've decided on a sequel because of you lovely readers and reviewers! ! Yup, one of my retarded words! Hmm, I noticed that A LOT of people read my first chapter, then when the second chapter was released, less than half the crowd came back to read it. I'm sad, probably because my writing's bad and they regretted reading the first chapter eh? Oh well, on with the chapter!

**By the way, some jutsus are created by me, so they're not real, yeah?

* * *

"HAIYAAA!" Battle screams came from the forest.

"The sexy, gorgeous, sparkling Rock Lee of Konoha has killed you, the enemy!" Lee exclaimed in enthusiasm. "…They're not dead yet, Lee." TenTen sighed, while Neji smirked. "What?! I shall do 150 pushups and run around this whole forest 10 times! Plus, if I fail to do either of them, I'll do twice the amount!" Lee's eyes lit up with total excitement and motivation.

"…Whatever, suit yourself. These losers were knocked out cold in only a matter of 5 minutes. What pathetic idiots." Neji heaved a sigh of annoyance. "Yeah…I think we better go find Kakashi-sensei now." TenTen suggested and Neji nodded in agreement. "Here I go!!!" Lee exclaimed as he began doing pushups. "Heh… I think we'll have to wait awhile now, ne, Neji?" TenTen turned to Neji. "Aa…"

* * *

"Neji's team should be done by now." Kakashi informed the Shikamaru, Sai, Hinata, Ino and Naruto. "Naruto, you're team and my team should split up, now." Kakashi told Naruto. "Huh? Why's that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, bewildered. "We've unknowingly stepped into the enemy's trap. Three of you can still escape so go now!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto widened his eyes. "Enemy's trap?! Why didn't we notice?!" Naruto asked frantically. Shikamaru and Sai then pointed down towards the floor where black markings were painted on. "Genjutsu. They fooled us using the surprise element. Go now and look for Sakura! After we're done with this, we'll catch up with you!" Kakashi commanded. Naruto, Hinata and Ino nodded and sprung off the ground.

Suddenly out of the ground, mud merged together to form 3 figures. As Kakashi, Sai and Shikamaru looked closely, they were taken aback when the figures formed none other than themselves. It was a jutsu whereby the attacker clones the victims and let them fight their own clones. This jutsu cannot be dispelled until one of the fighting pair dies. Kakashi was now standing in front of a clone of himself and Shikamaru and Sai were in the same situation.

"Kakashi-sensei, how do we get rid of 'ourselves'?" Sai asked, flabbergasted. "That's right…they all have the same jutsu and attacking style as us…" Kakashi murmured. "…Let's switch clones then." Shikamaru smirked. "Huh?" Sai asked. "As in, I'll fight you're clone, Sai, Kakashi will fight my clone, and you will fight Kakashi's clone. How's that?" Shikamaru clarified. "That's quick thinking on your part, Shikamaru. Good job. Let's switch then." Kakashi smirked as Sai, Shikamaru and himself switched places. Now, it's Shikamaru against Sai's clone, Kakashi against Shikamaru's clone and Sai against Kakashi's clone. All of them stood in battle pose as an exhilarating battle against each other's clones awaited them, any second now.

* * *

"Hinata-Chan! Could you search the area for Sakura-chan?" Naruto requested. "H-Hai!" Hinata nodded as she activated her Byakugan. "Byakugan!" Hinata said as she searched the forest in every speck of detail she could receive. "S-She's really far from here right now, N-Naruto-kun! It'll take a really long time t-to r-reach there…" Hinata informed Naruto.

"What now, loser?" Ino smacked Naruto on the back. "Duh, isn't it obvious? We get there asap! Sheesh, sucks to have women like you on my team." Naruto replied as he rolled his eyes.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Ino bawled, provoked. "Exactly what you heard!" Naruto countered. "YOU, YOU IMPRUDENT IDIOT!" Ino growled.

"HAH, SPELL IMPRUDENT, I BET YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO!" Naruto mocked Ino.

"YES I DO! IT'S SPELLED AS I-M-P-R-O-O-D-A-N-T!" Ino stomped.

"WRONG! IT'S SPELLED AS E-E-M-P-R-O-O-D-U-N-T! You failed your spelling didn't you?!" Naruto laughed. Hinata scratched her head at the both of them as they both got the spelling wrong. "U-um…It's I-m-p-r-u-d-e-n-t…" Hinata spelled it out for both the blondes. It was silent for awhile until Ino spoke up.

"Hinata! How could you do this to me?! Hah! You failed your spelling didn't you?!" Ino screeched.

* * *

"We're only a few 200 meters away from Sakura and Suigetsu now! Quicken your pace!" Sasuke demanded. "Sasuke, stop now." Idate suddenly tried dominating Sasuke's words. Idate, Ami, Karin, Juugo and Sasuke all stopped dead at their tracks. "What, Morino?" Sasuke seethed. "Look, I really, really want to help you guys, but Ami and I have been delayed from our mission at Konoha for too long now." Idate started.

"It was your stupid idea to join us in the first place…" Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, Uchiha. As I was saying. We really want to help you guys, but we would get in trouble with Tsunade-sama, the hokage. So we have to be going right now…Good luck with Kisame. Say goodbye for me to Suigetsu and Sakura." Idate continued, then walked over to Sasuke and whispered to him. "Tell Sakura to wait for me, Uchiha, I'll not let you have her." Idate whispered as he and Ami walked away from the team.

"I LOVE YOU SASUKE-KUN!!!" Ami squealed, with Sasuke not replying as he was too pissed off with Idate's words. "Don't ever come back, Morino." Sasuke growled.

"You bet I will meet ya guys again! Oh by the way, Uchiha. The bet only lasted till yesterday, whereby you had to listen to whatever I say, but you forgot and still listened to me today. What a loser!" Idate laughed as he jumped off with Ami.

"What…? WHAT!? Morino that jerk!" Sasuke screamed in annoyance.

* * *

"Hinata! Are we reaching yet!?" Naruto complained. "H-hai! She's about 1km away from us! If w-we want to reach there f-fast, we would have to raise our speed!" Hinata answered.  
"Okay then, RAISE YOUR SPEED BY 50% MORE!" Naruto shouted. "WHAT!?" Ino screamed.

"Argh, this would have been so much easier if Juugo was here with us!" Suigetsu whined. "What? Saying you can't work well with me? Well, that's kind of true because we don't really have any experience of fighting together as a pair, have we?" Sakura laughed as she knelt on the ground, finished with healing her cut.

"Huh, no that's not it. Juugo and I sort of have some telepathy during battles so it's much easier as we don't have to communicate in order to know what the next move is. Plus, Juugo does not mind getting injured during the process of our battle plan. For you though, I don't want you to get injured, whether you mind or not." Suigetsu smiled at Sakura.

"Hmm? Why is that so then?" Sakura raised one eyebrow. "It's not like I can't heal myself or anything." Sakura continued.

"Sasuke will kill me if I let a single scratch get on your skin." Suigetsu sweat dropped at the thought. "Oh? Why would that jerk kill you?" Sakura inquired, puzzled. "Man, you're slow. He-" "DIE!" Kisame screamed with all his malevolent intent and wickedness combined into one voice as he charged towards the unaware pair. "Caught ya off guard!"

"Yup, you so did." Suigetsu grinned. "Huh?!" Kisame shouted in puzzlement as he slashed his Samehada across 'Suigetsu's body. "POOF!" "A clone!? Then, the girl!?" Kisame widened his eyes as he turned towards 'Sakura'.

Right then, Sasuke arrived at the scene, with Juugo and Karin still behind as he was jumping too fast and ahead of them. Sasuke looked around and spotted Sakura kneeling on the ground with Kisame standing in front of her with his Samehada on his hand, ready to attack her. "SAKURA! WATCH OUT!" Sasuke shouted across, cursing at the fact that Suigetsu wasn't there to protect her.

Suigetsu and Sakura's POV from their hiding place:

"Damn it! Sasuke's there! He doesn't know that the 'Sakura' over there on the ground's a clone!" Suigetsu cursed as he turned towards Sakura. "Its okay, leave him be. I'm dying to see his reaction to me 'dying' Make the clone dispel only after Sasuke's reaction is over." Sakura grinned.

Back to Main POV:

Kisame's Samehada slowly neared Sakura inch by inch. Sasuke was going to go 'appear' next to her but was too late. Kisame's sword slit through Sakura's petite body in a blink of an eye. Sasuke's onyx eyes broadened as Sakura's body collapsed onto the hard cold floor brutally and as blood gushed out her chest. "SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled as he quickly appeared next to her and supported her upper body in his arms. "Hah, an Uchiha Sasuke eh? Heard lots about you. I'm sure she doesn't have a place in your stone heart. Leave her be." Kisame remorselessly commented whilst smirking. "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU ASSHOLE!" Sasuke snapped as a mixture of emotions welled up. Regret, melancholy, vengeance, fury and most of all hate were all captured within his now Sharingan eyes as he stared at Sakura's lifeless form.

Suigetsu and Sakura POV:

"Sakura…We should stop now…Sasuke seems hell angry!" Suigetsu commented in fear. "Oh not yet, I'm enjoying this." Sakura snickered. "W-well…this wasn't my idea than! I wouldn't want my ass to fly all the way to the other half of the world!" Suigetsu replied, uneasy.

Main POV:

Sasuke tried holding back his tears, which he failed at. One traitor slid slowly down his once so angelic features, now replaced with a ferocious face that could scare anyone with one look. "Kisame Hoshigaki…You're going to-" Just as Sasuke was going to curse his words of revenge and do it in action to Kisame, Sakura's body vanished into thin air with a "POOF!" Sasuke, alarmed, quickly turned to look at his arms, where Sakura's body used to be lying at. Soon, his astonished and stunned face turned into one of a devil's once he realized that it was a clone and that he had been tricked. "DAMN YOU, HOZUKI AND SAKURA!!!" Sasuke shouted in pure fury and anger as he had just been tricked as he punched the ground with all his might with his Chidori.

Suigetsu and Sakura POV:

"DAMN IT, Suigetsu!!! Why did you dispel the clone!?" Sakura asked, upset. "It dispelled on its own! It has its own time limit, you know! NOW we're in trouble!!!" Suigetsu cried in distress. "Darn it! He's calling us right now!" Sakura jumped up and down, panicky. "Let's just go and face our miserable deaths." Suigetsu pouted as he pulled Sakura towards the devil.

Main POV:

"What the hell's going on…?" Kisame twitched at the situation. "H-hey yo Sasuke!" Suigetsu smiled, petrified. "DAMN YOU! YOU ASSHOLE! PIECE OF SHIT, GO BURN IN HELL!" Sasuke hollered as he attempted to electrify Suigetsu, though being stopped by Sakura, who pushed Suigetsu aside and stood at his place. "I was the one who told him not to dispel the clone so that I could see your reaction. Turns out you're a crybaby eh?" Sakura smirked as she looked him in the eye. "I would have punched you right now if you weren't a woman." Sasuke seethed as he glared daggers at Sakura. "Hah, go on. I don't really act like one a quarter of the time anyway." Sakura challenged Sasuke

"If you're not going to fight me now, I'll kill you all without giving you a chance to showcase your ability to me." Kisame spoke up. "Right. Let's continue our battle, Suigetsu. _Without _Sasuke." Sakura suddenly added on the last part. "Oi, why else am I here if not to help you fools?" Sasuke argued. "Suigetsu! I think I might be hearing things! I'm hearing a voice but I don't see anyone anywhere! Must be my imagination, ne!" Sakura smiled as she pretended that Sasuke was air. With this remark, Sasuke twitched. "Before, once I was anywhere around you your attention immediately belongs to me." Sasuke muttered. "Uh Sasuke, keyword: _Before._" Suigetsu waved at Sasuke, smiling. With this, Sasuke smacked Suigetsu's arm, aggravated.

"By the way, where are Karin and Juugo?" Suigetsu asked Sasuke. "Karin and- Crap…They might be lost. They have no idea where we are as I just left them when I raised my speed…" Sasuke sweat dropped. "Karin's a sensor ninja for god's sake!" Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "This place has some sort of a chakra force field so no one can detect chakra around here, which is why I didn't detect that the 'Sakura' I was holding, was a clone." Sasuke stopped at his words as he glared at Suigetsu for awhile before continuing, "Thus, Karin wouldn't be able to sense us." "Oh crap. They're lost." Suigetsu sighed.

"Doesn't matter. Are we going to kill this walking sushi or what?" Sasuke asked impatiently.  
"Since when was there a _we_? All I know is Suigetsu and Sakura are going to kill this blue-skinned guy." Sakura added in 'innocently'. "ENOUGH! I can't take this insulting of my skin and you calling me sushi! It's not my fault that I'm a bit mutated right?! Time to kill!" Kisame shouted in annoyance. "Water style: Water clone jutsu!" Kisame summoned two clones. Sasuke smirked as he chanted his jutsu. "Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!" He uttered as he shot flames out of his mouth, aimed at Kisame's clones. The clones dodged the attack, and Suigetsu took this opportunity to do a jutsu at them too. "Water style: Slicing swords jutsu!" Suigetsu said as water swords charged towards Kisame's clones. They dodged yet again, but one of them was sliced and dispelled. Kisame then took this opportunity to secretly summon more clones, and made them invisible. One of them sneaked up behind Sasuke. Sasuke, sensing it quickly drew out his katana and attempted to slice it, but missed it unknowingly. Thinking that it had already been dispelled, he continued eyeing Kisame. Little did he know it was still standing right behind him.

Suigetsu charged at Kisame with his decapitating sword, but was blocked off by Kisame's Samehada. Sasuke then cut in with Chidori in his hands. "CHIDORI!" Sasuke yelled as he plunged his hand into Kisame's stomach. As he did so, Kisame did a replacement jutsu and escaped the attack. "Shit! Where will he reappear?!" Sasuke thought out loud. "Over here." His voice came from behind them. They turned around only to see him holding Sakura up in the air by her neck. "T-chh! I w-was fighting h-his clone and he suddenly c-came o-out of nowhere! Dam-n i-t let go of m-me!" Sakura struggled with her words. "Hah, girl, you're going down first. Kisame smirked as he gripped onto his Samehada. "Crap!" Suigetsu and Sasuke cursed as they tried to run towards her, but were gripped by an invisible force. "Don't bother. I sent out invisible clones to stay behind you all the time until I needed them to grip onto you." Kisame grinned as he pulled his sword back. Suigetsu tried kicking in the air and jumping up and down to get out of the clone's grip but just couldn't. He was going to deform himself and turn himself into water, but he had no enough chakra to do so. Sasuke on the other hand tried electrifying and burning the clone's invisible hand but had no prevail. "DAMN IT! WHERE'S NARUTO'S INACCURATE AND IDIOTIC TIMING WHEN WE NEED IT!?" Sasuke yelled in distress. "Say goodbye, little girl." Kisame laughed as he flung his sword towards Sakura's neck, planning to decapitate her.

Right then, as if all these were planned out, Naruto jumped out of the trees and grabbed Sakura's body and carried her out of Kisame's grip, though being slashed by the Samehada at his shoulder while doing so. "RIGHT ON TIME! DATTEBAYO!!!" Naruto cheered as he put Sakura down. "Sakura-chan! You okay!?" He asked, concerned. "Naruto…you finally came! Thank you so much!" Sakura smiled from ear to ear as she hugged him. "Naruto!? What the freaking hell are you doing here?!" Sasuke exclaimed, shocked that he's cries of distress actually came true. "Duh, saving Sakura, what? You expected me to come here and save you? Fat hope, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned. Both Suigetsu and Sasuke heaved a BIG sigh of relief that Sakura was now safe. "NARUTO! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE HINATA AND I ALONE, HUH!?" Ino suddenly burst into the scene, causing Sakura's jaw to drop. Kisame just stood there being ignored again.

"I-Ino pig!? IT'S YOU! YOU HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA HOW MUCH I MISSED YOU!!!" Sakura squealed in glee and contentment as she ran over to her and gave her a big hug, and added Hinata into the tight squeeze halfway. "Sakura! I MISSED YOU BLOODY MUCH TOO! AHHHH! I can't believe you're with Sasuke-kun! How'd it go!?" Ino jumped up and down, while Hinata smiled. "Uh, sorry to break it, but we're in a **midst of a battle** now, aren't we? OH AND HI NARUTO!" Suigetsu grinned. "YO!" Naruto charged towards him. "Oi. We're stuck here, help?" Sasuke twitched. "Oh right. How the hell do you get rid of invisible clones?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "I-I know…Y-you just have to injure the attacker and they'll immediately d-disappear…" Hinata meekly answered. Right then, Ino, Naruto and Sakura turned towards Kisame with malicious looks on their faces. "One, two, three. CHARGE!" Sakura shouted as Ino, Naruto and herself ran towards Kisame, attempting to injure him.

* * *

Kakashi POV:

"Shikamaru…you're clone sure is strong. I'm exhausted…" Kakashi sighed as he decided to resort to a technique that the clone would never expect him to do. "A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" He shouted as he aimed his finger at Shikamaru's clone's butt, and was successful when the clone flew away in the air. "Heh, knew it'd work…" Kakashi smiled as he collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion. "Time to read the newest issue of Icha Icha Paradise!!!" He said in delight as he quickly took out the book from his pocket.

Shikamaru POV:

"Darn it…I picked a troublesome opponent. He keeps smiling that annoying fake smile of his." Shikamaru groaned as he glared at a fake smiling Sai clone. "Are you going to continue the fight, dickless?" Sai's clone smiled more, causing Shikamaru to twitch. "Look, I don't care if you call me dickless or not. That only affects Naruto, so good luck trying that on me." Shikamaru clarified with the clone. "Okay then, pineapple woman look-alike, are you going to continue fighting?" Sai's clone added venom into his words. "…Now _that_ was offensive. Bring it on!" Shikamaru challenged the clone. "Shadow imitation shuriken technique!" Shikamaru made hand signs, now motivated to defeat the clone.

Sai's POV:

"Kakashi-sensei-clone sir. Can you stop reading that book?" Sai tilted his head, smiling.

"Why? I don't see that you're worth fighting." Kakashi's clone looked up briefly from his book. "Oh? So you don't plan to fight me?" Sai asked. "

"Mmhmm. I'd rather read my book." Kakashi nodded.

"Really? So…you can go read your perverted book and I'll just…sit here and wait for the rest to be done. Is that possible?" Sai questioned again. "Uh huh. I'll be dispelled once the other two are since there's no point anyway." Kakashi's clone lazily said. "Hmm…you're a nice person. I like you." Sai started and finished with a "dickless." In the end, Sai just sat on the ground and waited for Shikamaru and Kakashi to finish their own battles as the lazy clone of Kakashi sat there and giggled at his book.

* * *

Me: YO! I decided to end the chappie here, because I am really really exhausted, and I think I should leave the rest to the next chapter :D Hmm how on earth did i manage to write this whole chapter!? I'm amazed. Let's see what happened.

-Neji and gang defeated the lousy 60 men

-Kakashi's group fought 'themselves'

-Karin and Juugo got lost

-Idate and Ami went back to their mission

-Kisame's battle

-Naruto's team meets Sasuke, Sui, and Saku.

-Kakashi's group somehow finish off their opponents

That's alot now, heh. :P

Sakura: Yah huh.

Naruto: Eh, walking sushi! Come over here and say the line.

Kisame: I'M NOT A SUSHI.

Naruto: Whatever, go on.

Kisame: Read, review and give ideas.


	15. Chapter 15 Shattered

CHAPTER 15: Shattered

Disclaimer: Naruto may not be mine now, but one day. One FINE day, it WILL be. MINE, MINE AND MINE! I'll take over the world and Naruto would be all mine to change!!! MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. Yeah, right. In my dreams.

I'm happy. Why? Drum roll… IT'S MY 15th CHAPTER!!! YAYYYYYYYY!!! –Does victory dance- Anyhow, I love you reviewers. Oh yes, I'm serious. You guys ROCK my world! I mean come on. A hundred over reviews?! THIS IS THE BOMB! :D Oh yeah. I'm lovin' it! You should hug yourselves or buy yourselves something for being so very nice to me (:

THREE CHEERS FOR REVIEWERS AND READERS!!!

* * *

"CHA!" Sakura yelled as she plunged her fist into the ground, making it crumble. Ino, Naruto and Sakura managed to injure Kisame, thus letting Sasuke and Suigetsu go from the invisible clones. She then charged towards Kisame. She tried landing a few kicks and punches at him but missed every single chance. She and Kisame continued that sequence of kicking, punching and dodging for quite awhile until they finally drew back. "Idiot. I can't land a single hit on him!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Water Style: Mass Water clone Jutsu!" Kisame performed hand seals as a 100 clones of him appeared. Ino, Naruto, Hinata and Suigetsu sprung into action and began fighting and getting rid of the clones.

"Sakura. You distract Kisame and I'll attack him when he isn't looking." Sasuke ordered Sakura. "Consider it done. Watch your back." Sakura nodded. "HEY WALKING PIECE OF SASHIMI!" Sakura shouted. Kisame immediately reacted and turned to her, annoyed. "ARGH Stop making fun of me!" Kisame twitched. Sakura smirked as she charged towards him while throwing shuriken.

"There's no point to it, little girl. I'll dodge every single one that comes my way." Kisame laughed. Sakura rolled her eyes and continued throwing shuriken. She then did Taijutsu again. She kicked, punched and practically danced in the air with various movements as she tried to land a hit on Kisame. Sasuke took his queue and did a Chidori on his hand. He made it silent and ran towards Kisame. As Sasuke approached, Kisame suddenly smirked at Sakura. Sakura widened her eyes as she finally landed a hit on Kisame. He disappeared! She had been fighting a clone all along! She quickly looked around and widened her eyes when she saw where he was. He was charging towards Sasuke, who just dispelled his Chidori. He seemed to be trying to concentrate and not waste Chakra by not using his Sharingan. "Sasuke! Watch out!" Sakura screamed as she ran towards him. Sasuke, alarmed, snapped out of his senses and looked at Sakura expectingly. "KISAME'S BEHIND YOU!" Sasuke widened his eyes as he turned to see Kisame jumping in the air, getting ready to kick him. Sakura quickened her pace and ran to Sasuke, pushing him and herself at the same time away.  
"Hah, an Uchiha has to be saved eh? That _has_ to get into the book of records or something!" Sakura mocked Sasuke, who just rolled his eyes at the comment. "Not a single word of gratitude?" Sakura asked. "…Hn." "Wow, what a 'pleasant' thank you I just received." Sakura said sarcastically.

"Hmm Sasuke, I realize you use Chidori a lot…it's like as if you have no other jutsu." Sakura laughed. "…Tch it's not that. I'm just used to using it as my last finishing move. Who'd know that every time I'd try to kill him he'd dodge and dodge?" Sasuke explained. Sakura nodded and turned towards Naruto and the rest to see them finishing off the clones at a very fast rate and could hear Naruto whining "BORING!" as he was doing so.

* * *

"TenTen! Where are we supposed to meet Kakashi-sensei and the others?" Lee asked TenTen. "Oh, you're done with your 'self punishment' already eh? Hmm. I'm not sure…Neji, could you…?" TenTen sat up from where she was resting. Neji grunted and activated his byakugan. He then began 'scanning' the whole forest from where he was from. He looked left to right, right to left and finally saw Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sai. "Strange. Naruto, Hinata and Ino are nowhere to be found…" Neji muttered. "I've found Kakashi-sensei and the rest. Let's go." Neji commanded. "Hai!"

* * *

"She then runs up to him and says 'Oh sweetheart…you're so…so…handsome! I love you so much! Shall we…go to the room?'" Kakashi read his book out loud. "Oh the exciting part's coming!!!" Kakashi grinned from ear to ear as he eagerly flipped over to the next page. He was just about to read the first word of the first paragraph when…

"Kakashi." His name interrupted his thrill. "I'm done with that ass." Shikamaru lazily said. "…You interrupted me for…THAT!?" Kakashi twitched. "Ah, interrupted you from what? Your porn book eh?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing of such sort! It's an educational book only fit for adults like me to read. Hohoho!" Kakashi smiled. "…Whatever. I'm done with Sai's clone. You're done with mine, aren't ya? Sai's clone was easy to beat when I started to use my brains. To get to the point, I burnt his paint brush and drawing pad. That made him useless and I got rid of him. How about you?" Shikamaru asked.

"Uh…I used…a really_ sophisticated_ technique that not many can use. Eheheh…" Kakashi sweat dropped. "Which is…?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Ahh… You might not know the term so there's no use in saying it, Ahahaha…" Kakashi twitched, feeling like an idiot. _If I told him I used the 'A thousand years of death' jutsu he'd probably look down on me…Ah I'll probably change the subject or something… _Kakashi thought to himself. "Shikamaru, I've never got to know you better." "Kakashi smiled. "Ah huh…What do you want to know?" Shikamaru asked. "…Uh…Why's your hair shaped like that?" Kakashi chuckled. Shikamaru turned to Kakashi and asked back, "Why's _your _hair shaped like that?" For awhile, none of them talked.

"I'm too lazy to cut my hair so I just leave it like that. Besides, I don't want to look handsome or whatever. That's stupid. Girls would just drool over you and I would suffer troublesome women like Sasuke." Shikamaru sighed. "For me, when I was little, the mirror in my room was slanted, so when I combed my hair, it'd slant to a side but I wouldn't notice. My hair's been like this ever since." Kakashi explained. Both of them started laughing at each other right then.

* * *

"You know what? I regret sending Sakura for that mission with Naruto and the rest." Tsunade heaved a big sigh as she leaned her elbows on her table. "Which mission, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked meekly. "The one that got her separated from Naruto and the rest. The one where she was fighting the Akatsuki. The one that made her absent from Konoha for so long. THE ONE THAT LED HER TO UCHIHA SASUKE." Tsunade snapped in fury as she crushed the entire wall behind her with her fist. "C-Calm down, Tsunade-sama! You never acted like this even when you first knew that Sakura was absent or was with Sasuke…" Shizune tried to console her in fear. "That's because I never thought about it clearly before." Tsunade answered, gnashing her teeth.

"She is my pupil. The one I trained so that she wouldn't be useless. Sakura wanted to be trained so that she wouldn't be useless and would be the one protecting, Shizune. Sasuke had defected then, and she was so **shattered** by that fact and by the fact that Naruto was always trying his best to get Sasuke back that she worked so hard just to make sure she wasn't a burden to anyone anymore. What does she get in return? She has to face her source of sorrow all over again- Uchiha Sasuke. She might hide it, she might smile at it, but inside she's hurting. I can feel every bit of emotion she feels because I went through that before!" Tsunade snapped.

"What do you mean…?" Shizune's eyes widened.  
"I…used to love Orochimaru, before he left." Tsunade answered.

"WHAT!?!?!?!" Shizune gasped in horror. Her legs wobbled and she crumbled onto the floor. " that's got to be the joke of the year, Tsunade-sama! That was a good one! HAHAHA!" Shizune laughed, hysterical.

"…OUT, NOW- If you do not believe me." Tsunade narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "OKAY, IF YOU SAY SO! HAHAHAHHAHAA!" Shizune laughed more, on the verge of tears as she marched happily out of the room, slamming the door shut as she did so.

"HOW DARE YOU NOT BELIEVE ME!? EVERY SINGLE WORD I SAID WAS TRUE, SHIZUNE, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!!!" Tsunade screamed her lungs out. Tsunade sat back on her chair as she thought back on the old days when she used to love Orochimaru. She found it hard to like him at first, but slowly she accepted everything about him and gradually started liking him. This crush turned into love. He was like Sasuke- power hungry and defected the village. This made her cry for days and nights, as she begged for Jiraiya to stop trying so hard to get Orochimaru back. She then trained on her Taijutsu everyday and learned to be a Medical Ninja merely by reading medical texts and practicing every day, without a mentor or sensei. This led her to her success. A tear slowly slid down her delicate face as she thought back on the incredulity of her loving Orochimaru, but he's dead now, isn't he.

* * *

"S-Sakura-chan…I've g-got this weird feeling about K-Kisame…I-I know there's a c-chakra blocker here but still I have developed a n-new skill that makes me able to sense chakra e-even though… I can't sense any h-human form f-from Kisame…" Hinata spoke up as she ran towards Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto, Ino and Suigetsu came walking back after they were done with Kisame's clones.  
"Exactly…I've been having this weird feeling about him too…Something's not right. Sasuke, how about you?" Sakura turned to Sasuke. "…Aa. His presence here isn't normal." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Could this be a trick then?" Sakura turned towards Kisame. "Genjutsu!" Kisame shouted. "WHAT?! Since when was he a genjutsu type?! Something MUST be wrong!" Sasuke widened his eyes as they were all summoned into a genjutsu. "This can't be! He's not the genjutsu type and there's no way he could use genjutsu in the first place!" Sakura thought aloud. Naruto, Suigetsu, Ino and Hinata could only think the same as they were sucked into the genjutsu. "Kai!" Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Sasuke tried to release themselves from the genjutsu but failed. There was a block to it and there was no way of escaping it! "How could this be!? Only_ he_ can reach this level of genjutsu!" Sasuke furrowed his brows in confusion. Naruto and Suigetsu tried desperately to escape too but were sucked in.

They all soon fell into their inner states of mind. Some of them were together, some of them were separated. "Hinata! Ino! Suigetsu!" Sakura and Naruto yelled as the three of them started disappearing into the darkness into a completely different place of hell.

With Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura:

The three of them opened their eyes to find themselves in their own genin selves again. They were 12 and in their old genin attire and they were all in the forest of death. "What the hell?" Sasuke looked around. Naruto could only panic and Sakura was struck by only one thing- fear. "No…No…NOO!!!" Sakura cried in distress as she collapsed on her knees onto the ground. "Sakura! What's the matter?!" Both Naruto and Sasuke tried to move towards her only to find that their feet were glued to the ground.

"Don't take him away… PLEASE, I'm begging you! Stop, STOP!" Sakura was breathing heavily while tears streamed down her cheek. Naruto and Sasuke could only watch in confusion. "What's happening to her?!" Naruto asked Sasuke. Sasuke thought for awhile then remembered. "It's genjutsu. Pain and torture…" Sasuke said out as he narrowed his eyes.  
"I don't get it! I don't get anything!" Naruto scratched his head in annoyance. "We've got to help her! She's going to suffer!" Sasuke ordered.

Sakura's POV:

She was under heavy genjutsu that brought her to her worst fears and nightmares. She was in the forest of death, alone with Orochimaru, the person she feared the most.

"Hahahaha! Sasuke-kun will come to me. He'll leave Konoha, he'll leave you. He'll leave EVERYTHING for POWER." Orochimaru laughed maliciously. "H-HE WOULD NOT! SASUKE WOULD NOT!" Sakura shrieked in terror.

"He would… Sasuke-kun's only acting around you and Naruto…The truth is he's been dying to leave the village and search for power, and now, he has found me." Orochimaru smirked as a figure appeared from the shadows next to him. It was Sasuke! He looked up at Sakura with wickedness sprawled on his face. "I've got power now. Now I can leave you worthless pieces of crap and the stupid village. I'll leave and never come back. I'll KILL ITACHI!" Sasuke yelled in satisfaction as he pointed to the curse seal on the left side of his neck. "With this, I'll get everything I wanted." He finished as he glared at Sakura. "The truth is I've always despised you. I've hated your bloody smile. I've hated your character, your face, your EVERYTHING. Everything about you just makes me want to kill you and make you cry in pain and torture. Now I can do that, now can I?" Sasuke smirked wickedly as he took out a kunai from his weapon hoist. "N-no…" Sakura widened her eyes. Sasuke walked towards her slowly, with a cruel smirk plastered on his face as his skin began peeling off. His whole body skin peeled off as a new Sasuke was reformed. He was wearing a black cloak and was 15 years old now while the 12 year old Sakura just took steps back. With every step he took forward, Sakura took a step back. Sasuke now had his fringe down and his facial features had matured to that of a teenager's. His kunai had also transformed into his Kusunagi.

"Sakura…I've been waiting all along to do this to your infuriating self. DIE!!!" Sasuke shouted in aggravation as he plunged his kusunagi into the young Sakura's heart. "!" Sakura screamed in horror and trauma as she was awakened from the genjutsu.

Sasuke and Naruto were by her side holding her. They had somehow released her from the genjutsu. Sakura slowly opened her eyes as she stared up at Sasuke's onyx orbs. Her eyes broadened in realization that it was Sasuke.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET THE HELL AWAY! GO AWAY! DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU, YOU BETRAYER, YOU KILLER!" Sakura yelled in ordeal and torment as she backed away from Sasuke, pushing him away forcefully. "W-what?" Sasuke stared at her, confused with wide open eyes. "NARUTO!" Sakura cried out loud as she saw and hugged Naruto, traumatized. "HEY! S-Sakura-chan! What's the matter?! What happened?! Most of all…why are you treating Sasuke like that?" Naruto asked, panicky as he tried comforting her. "He…He…I HATE HIM!" Sakura shrieked, petrified as she cried her eyes out. Soon after a few seconds, she blacked out. Naruto put her on the ground gently.

"What the FREAKING HELL just happened?!" Naruto shouted in bewilderment. "Genjutsu. I don't know how Kisame did it, but he used a very high level of genjutsu. This makes the victim face his worst fear and nightmare and he'll have to relive it, worst thing is, there'll be more venom and things that never happened would happen and the victim would believe it is actually happening… Kisame could only torture one person at a time if the level of genjutsu was that high. He must be using the genjutsu against Suigetsu, Ino and Hinata right now." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _What the hell did Sakura see…? _Sasuke worried in anxiety. "We've got to find a way out of here!" Naruto looked around. "There's no way to get out of this level of genjutsu!" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Main POV:

"CRAP! THIS IDIOT HAS NOT ENOUGH CHAKRA FOR ME TO CONTINUE USING HIGH LEVEL GENJUTSU!!! LOUSY! I'm only able to deal with the other three with only low level genjutsu now then… Argh! I so wanted to use the high level against Uchiha and his blondie friend! In the end only the little girl got it…" Kisame complained as he stared at the three bodies of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura lying on the floor in front of him. Suigetsu, Ino and Hinata were having their little nightmares now.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei. I'm done." Sai smiled as he walked towards Kakashi and Shikamaru. "Oh? How was my clone? Powerful huh? I bet you had a hard time!" Kakashi grinned.

"…More like LAZY. We didn't even fight, my man." Sai sat down next to him.

"WHAT THE?! Why?!" Kakashi asked, disheartened. "Well. He was lazy and didn't find me worth fighting. So we just sat there in silence. He got dispelled when both of you defeated the clone enemies. So, I didn't even fight one bit." Sai smiled his fake smile again. "…I hate myself…" Kakashi felt like a failure.  
"Kakashi-sensei! We're here!" Lee reported as he jumped in front of Kakashi, along with TenTen and Neji. "Oh, you finished the men already? What took you so long?" Kakashi questioned. "Lee…" Neji rolled his eyes. "Ah, I see. Now we'll have to go find Naruto. Neji, could you search for him?" Kakashi asked. "I can't, Kakashi-sensei, no presences around except us." Neji replied. "What? This is going bad…" Kakashi sighed.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! Kakashi-san sent a messenger bird just now. He said that Naruto was heading for Sasuke and Sakura and he'll update us more later." Shizune reported to Tsunade.  
"Do you still not believe me about Orochimaru?" Tsunade stared at her.

"HHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAhahaha..ha..ha...You…were serious?" Shizune finally believe Tsunade, who nodded in anger.

"How on earth could you like him!?" Shizune's jaw dropped.

"The same way Sakura started to love Sasuke. Not inclusive of her fan girl crush part."

* * *

"JUUGO! WHERE ARE SASUKE-KUN AND THE REST?!" Karin stomped her feet.

"I'm afraid I don't know… You can't feel their chakra anywhere?" Juugo answered innocently.

"NO I CAN'T AND I'm DYING! I WANT SASUKE-KUN!" Karin whined.

They were walking aimlessly around the forest when Karin felt presences. "I FEEL PEOPLE! …It's not Sasuke." Karin sighed heavily upon realizing it wasn't Sasuke's presence she felt. "Let's peek on them and find out who they are. They might have seen Sasuke!" Karin jumped in excitement as she pulled Juugo into a bush and masked their chakras. Right then, Kakashi, Sai, Shikamaru, Lee, TenTen and Neji walked through. Those were the presences Karin felt. Karin stood up and pulled Juugo along with her and approached them. "Why hello." Karin started, as she suddenly ran in front of Kakashi and the rest.

"Uh…Do we know you…?" Kakashi asked.

"No, you don't. I don't care about that. What matters is, have you seen a really hot, sexy, gorgeous, sparkly, HAVE I MENTIONED SEXY looking guy around here?" Karin grinned.  
"I'm afraid you'd have to be referring to me!!!" Lee stepped out and bowed. "What do you want from the hot, sexy, gorgeous, sparkly beast of Konoha?" Lee smiled his toothy grin. "Eww." Was all Karin could say.

"Did he say Konoha? Sasuke and Sakura were from there." Juugo told Karin. Kakashi and the gang's ears perked up when they heard that.

"YOU KNOW THEM!?" They all screamed at Karin and Juugo.

* * *

Kisame had not enough chakra left and dispelled the genjutsu. Everyone started waking up. "THE WORLD! THE FRESH AIR! NO KARIN! JOY TO THE WORLD! I LOVE YOU, GOD!" Suigetsu started dancing around. "ALL I COULD SEE AROUND ME IN THAT HORRIBLE WORLD OF GENJUTSU WAS KARIN, KARIN AND KARIN! IT WAS HORRIBLE!" Suigetsu cried out loud.

"ALL I COULD SEE WAS NO SHOPPING OR BUYING STUFF AND ME LOSING HAIR!!!" Ino shook her head to turn herself back into reality. Hinata did not dare to say what she saw during her genjutsu encounter. Sakura on the other hand had not woken up due to the overstress the genjutsu had created in her mind and was still unconscious, though her face was stained with tears. Sasuke and Naruto woke up slowly. Sasuke stood up and glared at Kisame.

Sasuke thought for awhile and finally seethed,

"You're not Kisame. Who are you?"

* * *

Me: Was the chapter boring? I'm sorry ): I've got exams coming up so I can't update fast yeah? Please forgive me for the horrible chapters I've been coming up with…

TenTen: TIME TO SAY THE LINE! HAH!

Me: Yup, go on!

TenTen: PLEASE READ, REVIEW AND… AND… Psst! I forgot the last part!

Neji: …give ideas.

TenTen: OH RIGHT! GIVE IDEAS! (:


	16. Chapter 16 Dark Half

CHAPTER 16: Dark Half

Disclaimer: Whoosh.

Sorry for taking so long to update! I HAD EXAMS ): Hi. I'm writing a sequel after this story, so if anything horrible happens in the last chapter, be sure to note that there's a sequel and everything would be fine :) My story actually follows the actual one quite closely, but note that it is a story and things that don't happen in the real thang happens here ;)

* * *

"Who are you?" Sasuke seethed. _Itachi… _

'Kisame' grinned. "Oh, so you found out?" He raised his eyebrows. "I hope you're not thinking that I'm Itachi, because I'm not." He suddenly added in. Sasuke broadened his eyes. "Then…who the hell…?" Sasuke thought out loud.

"I hope you actually remember me from the Uchiha clan…" 'Kisame' smirked. "…WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Sasuke snapped, being pierced through the heart with the reminder of the massacre. Suddenly, 'Kisame' was surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Suigetsu, Naruto, Hinata and Ino had wide eyes. "Byakugan!" Hinata did hand seals as she tried to see what was going on in the cloud of smoke."S-Sasuke-kun! He's reforming into another person!" Hinata informed Sasuke. "What the… Shit. It's a resurrection technique. Some idiot resurrected a dead person and 'henge'd him into Kisame. No wonder he could do genjutsu…Thing is… the dead person is claimed to be from the Uchiha clan…" Sasuke stepped forth.

"Hello…Sasuke." A voice came out from the smoke. "That voice… Who?" A shiver went down Sasuke's spine. "I hope to let you understand the fact that Itachi did not murder me… I really did drown, assassins were sent to kill me." Sasuke froze in realization of who it was.

_Flashback_

"_Sasuke! Look what I've got you! Itachi was being an asshole and wouldn't get one for you as he said you would get cavities, but here you are!" Sasuke smiled as he received a lollipop from his favourite friend of Itachi's. _

"_You spoil him too much, Shisui…" Itachi sighed as he patted Sasuke on his head. "Don't bite it too hard or you'll have lots of missing teeth now, kay?" Itachi smiled. _

"_Okay! Thank you, big brother and Shisui-san!" _

-Another scene-

"_Sasuke! Today's your first day at the academy eh?" Shisui smiled as he ran towards Sasuke. "Shisui-san! Yup, but father wouldn't go for the opening ceremony…" Sasuke sighed. _

"_It's okay…I'm sure he was busy. Hey now, are there any cute girls in your class that you're interested in now?" Shisui grinned, causing Sasuke to blush. "N-no! All the girls there are so irritating… all they do is scream my name and tell me they love me when they don't... Shisui-san, why is that so?" Sasuke asked. "Hmm…must be because you've got an extremely cute face and a weird hairstyle that actually fits you!" Shisui answered, laughing. Sasuke pouted for awhile then started laughing too. _

"_Sasuke-kun!" A young Sakura shouted for Sasuke. _

"_Who's the pink haired cutie?" Shisui whispered to Sasuke. "She's just a classmate! And she's not cute…" Sasuke blushed. _

"_Hah, right. You've got me 'fooled' alright. Treat your girl right and capture her heart, before someone else does." Shisui winked at Sasuke._

"_O-oi! I don't like her or anything! I mean she __**is**__ a bit different from the other girls and she is pretty cute and sweet, an- wait…I just don't like her okay!" Sasuke's eyes broadened and he blushed many different shades of red when he realized he was trailing off and looked away. _

"_What a lousy liar, Sasuke… Ahah, go ahead and see what she wants!" Shisui laughed as he pushed Sasuke forth and listened in on their conversation. _

"_Sasuke-kun, Iruka-sensei asked for you! He's in the teacher's lounge." Sakura told Sasuke, who in turn just looked away and replied with an "Aa" before walking past her and into the school building. _

_Shisui closed his eyes and smiled as he muttered to himself, "He so likes her."_

_End of flashback_

Shisui stepped out of the cloud of smoke.

"Damn…" Was all Sasuke could say. "What, what?! What the hell's going on?!" Naruto asked in confusion. "Stupid, even I know!!! Some guy used a resurrection technique and brought this Shisui guy back to life from his grave and then he henge'd him into Kisame, so the person we were fighting all along was this dead Shisui guy. Eww…we were fighting a dead man…" Ino gave a grossed out face, earning a glare from Sasuke. "It's Itachi's best friend, Shisui Uchiha…he was from the Uchiha clan." Sasuke explained.

"Oh…I see." Naruto scratched his head with one of his hands, the other holding a still unconscious Sakura. "But how was he allowed to perform water techniques when he is a genjutsu type?" It was Suigetsu's turn to ask. "W-when a person gets resurrected and henge'd into someone, he a-automatically gets the jutsu that the person he was henge'd into has…" Hinata meekly answered. "So it's two in one…wow that's unfair. Even their characters are combined into one." Suigetsu sighed.

"You're still controlling Sakura's mind now, aren't you, Shisui?" Sasuke seethed.

"You mean the pink haired cutie? Yeah." Shisui smiled, causing Sasuke to twitch. "Stop it…" Sasuke pleaded him in a way but tried to hide it. "What happened to Shisui-san?" Shisui agitated him more.

"I said stop it." Sasuke's mean and cold tone made Shisui's expression harden. "Look Sasuke… I'd want to do that, but I can't. I've been resurrected, I have to follow the orders of the person who resurrected me, so I'm sorry… She has to find a way out on her own. Sakura, I mean." Shisui answered causing Sasuke sigh heavily and glance at Sakura, who was panting and sweating. "What is she going through now?" Naruto spoke up, causing Shisui to look at him.

"Just now, she was going through her worst memory- Sasuke leaving the village, and her." Shisui glanced at Sasuke, with the look that said 'I thought I told you to treat your girl right?' and continued. "Now…She's facing her dark half."

"Dark half?" Suigetsu, Naruto, Ino and Hinata questioned.

"Ah huh. It's supposed to torture her in a way that makes her think everything she'd done so far was the wrong thing to do. If she manages to escape that, bravo, she's out of the genjutsu. Otherwise, she'd die." Shisui narrowed his eyes.

"WHAT?!" They all widened their eyes, including Sasuke.

"And let me add this to what you know_. No one_ has managed to escape this level of genjutsu so far." Shisui added. Everyone could only pray that Sakura would survive.

"Let's get on with the battle shall we? I shall eliminate… you three first." Shisui smirked as he pointed towards Ino, Hinata and Naruto.

"Hey you, sorry to break it to you, but it's five against one. You are clearly outnumbered." Ino laughed.

"That's true…but…" Shisui trailed off as he did hand signs and continued,

"You're clearly _outmatched_."

* * *

With Sakura in her mind:

"W-what is this place?" Sakura sat up from total darkness.

"Sakura, was it?" A voice came out.

"Who are you!?" Sakura quickly reacted.

"No one special… Let's have some more fun…" The voice laughed.

"How are you doing this?!"

"Simple. I'm known for being able to control one's mind without the person realizing, like how I've been controlling yours. Enough talk now, more action." The voice faded away.

"W-what?! NOO!" Sakura screamed in horror as her worst fears played in her head all over again. This went on for hours, only according to her as she screamed and cried with all her fear in the world of horrible nightmares. From the time Sasuke left to meeting Orochimaru, and then to the time when Lady Chiyo died, the many battles she suffered and most of all, the time she realized she was so useless- when she was genin. Suddenly, the horrible world she was in faded away and she saw a figure walking towards her. She walked forward and tried to see who it was. To her utmost shock, it was her, only, there was a mysterious dangerous aura surrounding that Sakura.

"I believe we haven't met…I'm your **dark half**." The other Sakura smirked.

* * *

"YOU KNOW THEM?!"

"Uh, duh! Sasuke-kun's my fiancé! Sakura's just an extra." Karin rolled her eyes at the last part. "Hah, right! You are Sasuke's fiancé. Oh guess what? NEJI'S A GIRL." Tenten snorted and sarcastically commented, causing Neji to twitch and stare angrily at her.

"I don't think you should lie to them… Uh… Sasuke's our team leader. Sakura joined the team not so long ago." Juugo said as he smiled.

"Do you know where they are?" Shikamaru got straight to the point.

"No. We're lost." Juugo answered.

"…Great, just great…" Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"There's this sort of chakra forcefield that's blocking out Karin's sensing." Juugo explained.

"You're a sensor ninja? Seems you're not so useless after all, ugly." Sai smiled, causing Karin to get mad and having Juugo to handle her.  
"Let's just get on and try to find clues some way or another. Neji." Kakashi turned to him.

"Hai! Byakugan!"

* * *

"D-dark half?" Sakura stuttered in fear at first, then stood up, took in a deep breath, and had her facial expression changed to a serious one.

"Who are you and what do you want with me!?" Sakura raised her voice, causing the dark Sakura to laugh. "Stop putting up a brave front. We both know it's fake. You should go back to being your old genin self and not this stronger side of you or whatever's nonsensical!" Dark Sakura chided.

"And what do you mean by that?" Sakura twitched, slightly fazed by her words.

"YOU. Everything you've done is wrong and not yourself. Example 1. You're not your normal fangirl self around Sasuke anymore. You are this uptight idiot that pretends not to like him. Example 2. You gained power for yourself, and not for Naruto or Sasuke's sake. YOU, YOU, YOU. Everything revolves around you." Dark Sakura leered as she saw Sakura widen her eyes.

"That's not true."

"Yes it is, you should be dead by now, in Sasuke's hands. You do know how much he hates you, right? You're being nice to everyone. That's all an act so you won't be teased like you were when you were little. Naruto, oh that poor boy, being hit by you all the time. Don't you ever appreciate him? Do you? NO." Dark Sakura pressed on.

"Stop it, it's NOT TRUE."

"IT IS, SAKURA, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOURSELF. YOUR TRUE SELF is ME." Dark Sakura maliciously laughed.

"No, no NO!" Sakura screamed as she knelt down on the floor. "It is, dear… Look at you…You are so useless. Your new found strength is nothing. Inside of you is the childish and useless Sakura waiting to come out. But you won't want that to happen now, do you?" Dark Sakura walked towards her. Sakura looked up at her with a confused expression.

"You need _my_ power. You need _this _side of you, you need _me_." Dark Sakura bent down to Sakura's level and brought her chin towards her.

"Let me out." Dark Sakura whispered. Sakura suddenly fainted and obliged.

* * *

"MIND CONTROLLING DOJUTSU!" Shisui smirked. Sasuke widened his eyes. _That jutsu! Crap! _

"Huh, nothing's happening." Suigetsu looked around.

"HAHHAHAA WHAT AN EPIC FAIL!" Ino laughed.

"I-Ino chan!!! LOOK B-BEHIND YOU!!!" Hinata screamed in horror as Naruto suddenly took out many shuriken and threw it towards Ino. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU DOUCHE BAG?!" Ino screeched. Suigetsu, noticing Naruto, quickly ran towards Ino and took out his Decapitating sword. He quickly used it to block off all the shuriken. "Ya okay, loser?" Suigetsu looked behind him and gave a toothy mocking grin to Ino who was behind him, shocked.

"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Ino pointed at Naruto accusingly. "It's not his fault. Shisui is using a jutsu that control's the victim's mind and manipulates it. He can make the person do whatever he wants. It's a special jutsu that only he can do." Sasuke explained. "B-but N-Naruto-kun's chakra levels and everything e-else is still the same…" Hinata said, with her byakugan activated.

"It's only his mind being controlled, nothing else." Suigetsu looked towards Hinata. "By the way! I'm the awesome Suigetsu!" Suigetsu smiled, holding out his hand to Hinata, of which she took and introduced herself too. "HOW ABOUT ME?!" Ino gaped. "Duh, you already know my name, and I know yours. Ino-pig was it? Yeah. Sakura told me lots about you. You're her best friend aren't yah!" Suigetsu raised his brows. "Psh…It's Ino. Yeah. Billboard brow…" Ino smiled. "I suggest you don't call her that. She's scary when this sort of stuff pops up. She just breaks down and stuff. I guess it's because of her past or something. Sasuke will know." Suigetsu glanced at Sasuke, who twitched. He had a scrunched up face thinking about the past genin days with Sakura and how he mistreated her.

"Enough talk… we have to knock this guy out. Watch out for any character changes between us." Sasuke put an end to the conversation.

Suddenly, Ino, Hinata and Naruto started charging at each other at the same time. They were being controlled by Shisui all at once. Suigetsu started panicking and tried to move but Sasuke stopped him. "Don't. Shisui would make them attack you." He said and observed the three of them charging towards one another before widening his eyes when he saw a tag on the floor "HOLD YOUR BREATH. IT'S A TRAP!" Sasuke yelled to everyone as the poison gas tag on the floor exploded. Only Suigetsu managed to hear it, causing Ino, Naruto and Hinata to breathe in the poison gas. _Shit! _Sasuke cursed in his head. Ino, Naruto and Hinata started choking and coughing and collapsed onto the floor. "Sakura just has to be unconscious when we need her medical help…" Suigetsu turned to look at Sakura, who was dropped on the floor because Naruto let her go when Shisui controlled his mind. "WOH! Better go put her somewhere safe…" Suigetsu quickly ran towards Sakura, picked her up and laid her next to a nearby tree.

"So Sasuke, it's me and you against this guy." Suigetsu stood next to Sasuke.

"…Suigetsu. We have no shot at winning." Sasuke declared.

"WHAT?! But you're _the_ Uchiha! & I'm the awesome Suigetsu!!" Suigetsu's jaw dropped.

"It's not that. He's an Uchiha too. Plus, he's known me from young. He knows how to counter any move I make. He has the special sharingan, remember? Only certain people can escape his eyes, and you're sadly not one of them…" Sasuke explained, causing Suigetsu to sigh. "Might as well give it all we've got…right?" Suigetsu encouraged Sasuke, causing him to smirk and nod his head.

"Sharingan, Fire ball jutsu!"

"Water-clone jutsu!"

Shisui appeared out of nowhere, pleased that 3 people were out of the battle and stared at Sasuke and Suigetsu's attacks coming towards him. "Let's play with fire." He smirked. "Fire style: Flames of death!" He chanted as gigantic flames were shot out of his mouth towards both Sasuke and Suigetsu's attacks. The attacks were immediately dispelled and in the flames were shuriken. Sasuke smirked as he drew out his kusunagi. "I don't remember you being good in taijutsu, Shisui." He commented as he blocked off all the shuriken with his kusunagi. "But he has the sharingan!" Suigetsu scratched his head. "So? He focused so much on his genjutsu that he didn't bother about his taijutsu skills." Sasuke looked up in confidence as he charged towards Shisui, who sweatdropped. _That little rascal still has his amazing memory huh…Hah, funny… _Shisui laughed to himself as he just stood still and stared at Sasuke and Suigetsu. "…Wrong move…" He smirked as suddenly, Suigetsu and Sasuke froze in action, wide eyed. "WHAT THE FUDGE?!" Suigetsu gaped as he was floating on air.

"True, I don't focus on taijutsu, but since both of you two are doing ninjutsu right now, it enables me to use a new technique that I invented myself… This jutsu only works when the opponent is using ninjutsu, it's called…" Shisui paused as Suigetsu and Sasuke looked at him expectingly. "Genjutsu: Opponent freezing. It the opponents and freezes them wherever they are, allowing me to kill them swiftly with one blow. Though, I've not perfected the jutsu yet, as I died before I could do it. So, you guys can still talk." Shisui smiled. "Tch… what now?!" Sasuke twitched and would not admit defeat. Shisui drew out two kunai from his pouch.

"Sorry, Sasuke…" Shisui said as he prepared to throw the two kunai at Sasuke and Suigetsu when suddenly, a burst of energy came from behind him. Sasuke and Suigetsu widened their eyes. "S-Sakura?!"

Shisui turned behind only to see a burst of evil energy and a deathly aura coming out from Sakura. She was standing up and her bangs were covering her face. "What the freak?" Shisui cursed in confusion. She suddenly looked up at them, and they had the shock of their lives. She had dark red eyes replacing her beautiful emerald ones and her hair was turning maroon. Not only that, she had an evil grin on her face.

"Oh yeah, I'm out now." She laughed.

"What the freaking shit happened to Sakura?!" Suigetsu finally spoke up, immensely shocked.

"It's not the Sakura you used to know…it's Dark Sakura…How the hell did she manage to come out?! She was only supposed to torture Sakura in her mind, not come out as Sakura!" Shisui answered in astonishment. "Impossible…this has never happened before…" Shisui trembled a little. "WHAT THE SHIT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Sasuke yelled, infuriated. "It's not the jutsu! It's something that happened in her mind that caused this! Her dark self somehow took over her." Shisui explained.

"HAHAHA. Fresh air, fresh air! After so long of being kept in that little inner mind of hers! Finally," Dark Sakura put her hand to her chest.

"I, THE TRUE SAKURA HARUNO, AM OUT!" Dark Sakura laughed wickedly.  
"No way is this happening…just no way…" Suigetsu shivered in fear. Sasuke was just speechless. What happened to the sweet innocent girl he knew? Her gentle smile, happy face, beautiful laughter and an aura around her that just makes you smile?

"Now it's time to…_kill_." Dark Sakura smirked.

* * *

Me: I'm sorry it has to end here, and fast. THERE IS LITERATURE TOMORROW! –GASP- Sorry for my really fake acting. I'm not afraid at all. Honestly, I think Lit is easy ;) I'm doing Animal Farm! Quite interesting… Exams are sucky!

Naruto: Tell me about it… It's disgusting.

Shisui: Not if you're smart, like an UCHIHA! HAH!

Me:… Are all Uchihas stuck up idiots?

Shisui: I'm just stating facts, facts.

Me: Yup. PLEASE REVIEW. I NEED MOTIVATION :B

Shisui: Please read, review and give ideas.

** Shinrin, I got yah! It wasn't Itachi now, was it XD Update your fantastic fanfic soon!!!

** SakuraHarunoxx, thanks SOOO much for your ideas ;) YOUROCK!:D


	17. Chapter 17 Back For More

CHAPTER 17: Back For More

When I grow up, I'm going to join the Akatsuki! (The one without Orochimaru or Madara :)

Disclaimer: NARUTO'S NOT MINE! Oh my gosh did you see the extra extra behind the scenes part of Naruto's Anime chapter 161? IT SHOWED SASUKE IN ONLY A TOWEL COVERING HIS ahem… IN THE HOT SPRINGS! HOTHOTHOTHOTHOT! XD

* * *

"_I could never measure up and be as strong as Naruto and Sasuke! I must work harder as I have no talents so that I can prove the two of them wrong that I'm not the old useless self I am_, blah blah blah! That's all the other Sakura Haruno says to herself. Do you know how freaking stupid that type of logic is?" Dark Sakura mimicked Sakura.

_Never measure up or be as strong as Naruto or myself…? With Tsunade being the strictest teacher out of the three of our teachers, she had made the greatest improvement…_Sasuke thought in sadness to himself.

"But now that she has me, _everything _will change, everything will go _my way_." Dark Sakura grinned as she pointed towards Sasuke.

"You, Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura's one and only true love. She loved you dearly, she cared for you, she saved you from death so many times, she protected you, and she stood up for you only to get treated like _trash_ by you. You just left her, leaving her to think that she was unwanted, uncared for. What a stupid girl she was to have fallen for someone as crappy and heartless as you. Sometimes, I wonder if she even means _anything_ to you. Loving people just leads to one's very own destruction. So, you will die in my hands." Dark Sakura narrowed her eyes.

With this, Sasuke narrowed his eyes in guilt. Memories of the stone cold bench he left her on came flooding through his mind. _Doesn't she understand the real reason why I left her in Konoha? I thought she would have figured it out…or Naruto would have told her. _

"Earth to the Uchiha idiot?" Dark Sakura raised her eyebrows, causing Sasuke to snap and look up at her.

"This Sakura freaks me out…" Suigetsu sweat dropped.

"Tell me about it… First time encounter with a victim's dark half…" Shisui stepped back.

"Uchiha Sasuke, say good-"

"Uh hello? Sakura? You're supposed to be on OUR side for now. Look, look! It's the enemy over there! Go kill that asshole!" Suigetsu tried to convince Dark Sakura, pointing to Shisui.

"Why should I?" Dark Sakura narrowed her eyes, thinking it would just be a waste of her time.

"DUH. Because this dude is …uh…SASUKE'S BROTHER! Yeah, yeah! Shisui _Uchiha_, you know? Sasuke _loves_ him a lot, so if you kill him, it'll make Sasuke hell pissed!" Suigetsu came up with a lie, and winked at Dark Sakura.

"I see, I see…I thought his brother was Itachi Uchiha?" Dark Sakura asked again.

"Aahh…long lost brother! Sasuke loves Shisui _much_ more than Itachi." Suigetsu nodded his head rapidly and Dark Sakura believed his statement. Sasuke just stood there twitching at Suigetsu's big mouth. _I don't love Itachi…_

Dark Sakura smirked as she did a certain jutsu with her hands.

"Cherry Blossom, death bed." She muttered as the whole surrounding of the area turned pitch black. Sasuke and Suigetsu were caught in the jutsu too, but were still frozen.

"What the…?" Shisui looked around him. Suddenly, cherry blossoms surrounded him. They started darting towards him, turning into shuriken slowly and hitting his body, numbing it in the process. Dark Sakura was going to do more with the jutsu, but suddenly dispelled it.

"You know what? I shouldn't use _that_ jutsu on you; it'll just kill you instantly. I want to have fun torturing you first." Dark Sakura grinned.

"Uh…excuse me, can either one of you scratch the tip of my nose for me? Yeah, it's really itchy and apparently, I'm frozen." Suigetsu twitched his nose countless of times while asking, causing everyone to twitch in annoyance.

"…You couldn't be more stupid…" Sasuke sighed as he muttered to Suigetsu. Dark Sakura ignored Suigetsu and got ready to fight Shisui physically.

"GREAT. Another taijutsu fight, just when I can't use genjutsu cos this woman's a dark half…" Shisui rolled his eyes, regretting not focusing on taijutsu instead of only genjutsu. Dark Sakura started charging towards him with a wicked grin on plastered on her face, shurikens thrown at the same time. Shisui dodged all of them, but didn't notice that Dark Sakura had made a clone. Her clone kicked Shisui from the back unexpectingly, and Dark Sakura took the opportunity to punch him straight on the stomach with her full strength.

"GAHHHHHHHH!" Shisui cried in pain.

"What the hell, that Shisui guy is a sucker in Taijutsu. He couldn't handle something like that?" Suigetsu gaped.

"…Dark Sakura found out his weak spot, fast." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _What the hell is she…_

"Are all Uchiha dorks this lousy in TAIJUTSU? HAH, amateurs." Dark Sakura mocked.

"It's just me, girly." Shisui seethed in embarrassment.

"You're unworthy of my time." Dark Sakura said as she walked towards him and stepped on him. She pulled both his hands up and pushed his body down with her boots.  
"WHAT THE FREAK ARE YOU DOING?" Shisui scream in pain.

"Breaking your filthy arms." Dark Sakura could only watch in horror, while Suigetsu shut his eyes from the nightmare.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"Guys, stop jumping." Kakashi suddenly ordered. The whole troupe, including Karin and Juugo stopped.

"Sorry to interrupt, Kakashi-san, but I've already found the area of the chakra force field." Neji raised his hand in respect.

"That is great, but look at what has come for us…" Kakashi pointed to the sky, where everyone saw a messenger bird from the Sand Village.

"It's Takamaru, The Sand Village's fastest messenger hawk." Kakashi pointed out.

"Something must have happened, then!" Lee nodded, as Kakashi took the hawk in his hands, and took out a scroll from its pouch slung on its neck. He took it out and read it out loud.

"This is the Kazekage, Gaara writing. Tsunade-sama, the Leaf Village's Hokage has informed me of this crisis. Itachi and Kisame have invaded Konoha and were ordered by Pain to destroy the whole village. They have resurrected a whole army and the village is in war now. Tsunade-sama and the rest are all protecting the village right now, and have asked for the Sand Village for reinforcements. She had no time to do this, so I am doing this instead. Go back to Konoha immediately. I've been told of your mission. Get Sasuke and the rest back no matter what. It's important. I'll see you in the village." Kakashi finished reading it.

"Holy Shit…" Almost everyone muttered.

"Karin, Juugo. We need your help." Kakashi turned to them.

"Hai." Juugo saluted, but Karin just rolled her eyes.

"Neji will give you the exact location of where Sasuke and the rest are. Inform them of this crisis immediately, and please get them to come back." Kakashi practically begged them.

"…Got it…If it's for Sasuke's sake, fine." Karin pouted.

"We'll be counting on you." Shikamaru nodded, as they all jumped off in the opposite direction, back to Konoha.

* * *

"Hah, Itachi, this was more fun than I expected it to be." Kisame smirked in enjoyment as many people died in his hands.  
"Hn…How's the resurrection technique going?" Itachi asked him.

"I've got to dispel it soon. It has its own time limit. Though, only when severe damage is caused to your friend, it'll be immediately dispelled." Kisame answered.

"Shisui, huh… Brings back so many memories…" Itachi looked at the sky in sadness.

"UCHIHA ITACHI." A voice suddenly rung out. Itachi tore of his gaze from the sky only to see the Hokage before his very eyes.

"Tsunade-sama…" He greeted with respect, causing Tsunade to twitch.

"How dare you do this to your own village?" Tsunade hollered.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama…You must know…It wasn't my decision." Itachi narrowed his eyes by a fraction.

"Shall I handle this nasty blonde?" Kisame grinned a toothy one.

"Hold on… I want to have a little chat with her first." Itachi continued staring at Tsunade, Pokerfaced.

* * *

"DAMN!" Shisui cried in pain as Sakura finally let go, breaking only one of his arms.

_This isn't the Sakura I know… This must have been how she felt when I got my curse seal… _Sasuke widened his eyes.

Dark Sakura continued stomping on Shisui's back, until she heard it crack- satisfied. She then smirked as she walked towards the frozen Sasuke. Sasuke could only watch her come nearer to him, not knowing what to expect. She went behind him and drew out his sword.

"I'll borrow this." She smirked as she tapped it on her palm.

She walked to Shisui's pained state and stared at him expressionless for a while, before stabbing him straight in the stomach with Sasuke's kusunagi.

"SHIT IT!" Shisui cursed more in pain. He was thinking of calling Sakura a bitch or whatever, but then again, it was _Sasuke's girl_.

_Damn it…Stop, Sakura…_

"The final round, stabbing of your heart, chopping off of your head and legs." Dark Sakura cried in amusement.

Dark Sakura brought Sasuke's kusunagi high into the air, and was going to swiftly charge it down at Shisui's head, but Sasuke's voice stopped her.

"SAKURA, SNAP OUT OF IT! THIS ISN'T YOUR TRUE SELF, LISTEN TO ME!" Sasuke screamed in desperation, trying to snap Sakura into her right mind. Right then, Dark Sakura froze.

"What the freak? I can't bloody move!" Dark Sakura tried her best to move the sword down but couldn't.  
_Sasuke…? _Sakura thought in her mind

"SAKURA! You didn't work hard for nothing! You proved Naruto and myself wrong! You proved _everyone _wrong! You aren't useless! I only said that to push you on further so that you would improve on your ninja skills!" Sasuke yelled, trying to bring the true Sakura back.

"DAMN IT, MOVE ALREA- What?- SHUT UP, UCHIHA!" Dark Sakura and Sakura fought over mouth power.

"You, I… I was amazed by your power when I first encountered you after three years… I looked down on you too much, and now you've proven me wrong. You're now a very important part of my team. You weren't a burden when we were genin either! You were the most knowledgeable in our team. Come back. Stop thinking so lowly of yourself, it's just so stupid for you to think that way." Sasuke continued.

"SHUT THE FREAKING HOLE ON YOUR FACE!" Dark Sakura yelled, slightly overtaking Sakura.

"Having talents is NOTHING, Sakura! It doesn't matter if we're born with talents! Working hard is essential in life, too… Look at Lee, he's excellent in Taijutsu, without talents, just practice alone. You've excelled already." Sasuke scrunched his eyebrows.

"Then…Why did you just leave me in Konoha like that?" Sakura took over Dark Sakura, dropping the Kusunagi on the floor.  
"…For your safety."

"Huh?" Suigetsu muttered, confused.

"If I had taken you with me to Orochimaru, who knows what he would have done with you…Plus, you would have been led to the path of evil, like I was. The safest place for you was in Konoha." Sasuke explained, face hidden by his bangs.

_In Sakura's Mind:_

_**GET OUT OF OUR MIND, SASUKE IS RIGHT! **_Inner Sakura bellowed.

_Yeah, we do not need you. You are worthless to me, I don't need you as a side of me. I am who I am. _Sakura glared at Dark Sakura

'What the? What's this?' Dark Sakura broadened her eyes as she slowly evaporated from Sakura's mind.

'NOO! I WILL BE BACK!'

"Sakura…?" Sasuke called, hoping that he had succeeded in getting the real Sakura back.

"What was I thinking…Letting that demon out of me like that…" Sakura collapsed onto the floor, kneeling down.

"SAKURA, YOUR BACK! HALLELUJAH!" Suigetsu cheered.

"Was everything that you said… truthful?" Sakura looked up at Sasuke with her ever so innocent eyes.

"…Damn it." Sasuke cursed as he recalled everything he blurted out, without knowing. He blushed ten shades of red in embarrassment and looked away.

"Hahaha…Painful experience…" Shisui laughed weakly as he slowly vanished.

"What the? Where's the guy going?" Suigetsu asked, as Sasuke and himself dropped down to the floor,due to Shisui's freezing technique dispelling.

"The resurrection technique had worn off…" Sasuke confirmed with him.

"Eh…I feel dizzy…" Naruto suddenly stumbled from his sleep.

"Genjutsu heh?" Suigetsu scratched his head as Ino and Hinata slowly stood up too. Suddenly, a shrill voice came out.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Anyone could recognize that voice. Karin. Sasuke twitched before turning to glare at Karin, who was running with Juugo following behind.

"You finally found us?" He asked.

"Ahah, WE HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS!" Karin panted heavily.

"Speak." Sasuke turned serious.

"Itachi and Kisame are in Konoha!" Juugo said. Sasuke could only narrow his eyes to slits, with a deathly aura surrounding him.

"He's **back for more**…" Sasuke muttered.  
No one spoke for awhile, shocked by the news.

* * *

Me; HEY! Decided to end the chapter short. I've got school tomorrow, that's why. Sorry for late update, examinations and results, yaw.

Itachi: Hn…

Me: Yup.

Itachi: Read, Review and Give Ideas.

**

* * *

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BY THE WAY, ADVERTISTMENT! Read my other story, You are the one for me.

**CLICK ON MY PROFILE AND CHECK IT OUT! :D I would appreciate it if you reviewed/read it! **

**SAN Q~!**


	18. Chapter 18 Konoha

CHAPTER 18: Konoha

Disclaimer: O.M.G I'M RUSHING THIS CHAPTER. Oh wait, I'm supposed to write a line saying that I don't own Naruto, right?

Hey guys! I'll be leaving the country tomorrow for a project to save Sea turtles! I have to rush this chapter as a result as I won't be back till 5-8 days time, and _because I just love you guys so much ^^_ I hope I save as sea turtles many as possible. Be aware of how endangered they are and that only 1 out of 1000 survive till adulthood. Yeah I better stop, before this author's note becomes a talk about awareness of the survival of Sea Turtles. Yes, I'm that passionate about saving them.  
ENJOY, PEEPS. I love you all :D

* * *

"What's your purpose?" Tsunade got to the point.

"What do you think it is?" Itachi raised his eyebrows.

"Look, Uchiha, I'm not interested in your little games. Answer the question." Tsunade snapped.

"Nothing I do now in this village is serving a purpose." Itachi stated.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"It's not my purpose, it's someone else's."

"Oh for crying out loud, who! I'm not that patient, buddy."

"Pain. He wants the Kyuubi in Naruto."

"Why didn't you reject the task? This is your village."

"That, I cannot tell…" Itachi smiled faintly.

"Itachi, are you only all talk right now?" Kisame whispered to him, annoyed by them ignoring his existence.

"Aa.I see no reason for me to fight her." Itachi nodded.

"I shall go to some other part of the village to cause more chaos and help out the army of zombie people, cos I'm bored." Kisame grinned, before jumping off.

"Where is he going?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"That's not the main concern now. Where is Naruto?" Itachi expressionlessly asked.

* * *

"Konoha is in trouble, Sasuke! It's not only Itachi you have to worry about! Let's protect Konoha first then get to Itachi" Naruto snapped at Sasuke, whose main focus was to get there and kick Itachi's sorry ass.

"I've been waiting all this time for this, Naruto! What if Itachi gets away? This is important to me, forget it! You don't understand me!" Sasuke barked as they came to an abrupt stop in the forest.

"YOUR OWN VILLAGE IS IN TROUBLE. Which matters more?" Naruto growled.

"…I've told you many times that Itachi is my goal in life. Let me fulfill that goal I've been dying to get done!" Sasuke seethed.

"Protect your village first then kill the bastard-"

"Guys! Stop arguing! There's a crisis now and we've got to get to the village on time!" Sakura ran into the scene, annoyed and spreading her hands out to separate them both. Sasuke and Naruto stopped and turned away stubbornly.

"Look…We'll work this way okay? We'll split up. Half of us will protect Konoha. The other would go ahead and look for Itachi and act as backups to Sasuke. We will all stay as one group until we reach Konoha." Sakura suggested.

"No. I want to do this alone." Sasuke turned to her, still annoyed.

"No way, Sasuke. It's far too dangerous! We'll follow you!" Sakura glared.

"Go ahead and protect that village of yours. I don't belong there now, anyway. I'll go alone, find him and kill him and that's final." Sasuke challenged her.

"NO-"

"I dare you to follow me to look for Itachi. Go protect the damn village. I'll look for him on my own and sneak into Konoha somehow." Sasuke seethed as he jumped off in rapid speed.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed after him.

"Hah, this is what you get when you talk back to Sasuke-kun! Now he hates you, and still likes me! I know so much more about Sasuke than you do!" Karin muttered to herself as she grinned at Sakura's defeat to Sasuke.

"What now?" Suigetsu and Ino sighed.

"…We get to Konoha. Sakura…Don't tell me…?" Naruto looked at her, knowing what was on her mind from the look on her face.

"Don't object to me doing it, Naruto." Sakura turned to face him with a determined look.

* * *

"Kotetsu! Where's Tsunade?" Kakashi asked as his whole squad arrived at the gates of Konoha. They were late as there were enemies at the borderline of the fire country.

"I don't know. I've been here all along guarding for any more ninjas that might take advantage of our village's weakened state and attack!" He answered. Kakashi just sighed.

"We're on our own then-" Kakashi said, but was interrupted mid sentence when Iruka appeared before them, stumbling a little.

"Kakashi! It's Kisame! We need help, he resurrected all those dead shinobi from who knows where and is causing chaos to the west and east side of Konoha! You guys are right on time, please follow me." Iruka announced as he pulled out a Kunai from his shoulder, wincing at the pain.

"West and East? Shikamaru, Sai, TenTen, Lee, go follow Iruka to the east. Neji, you're with me, we head west." Kakashi commanded, as they ran off in to their allocated directions.  
"Neji, locate Kisame. I'm headed for him." Kakashi glanced at him.

"Weren't we headed west?" Neji queried.

"Neji. Keyword: I'm. I'm heading for him. You head for the west. You are of jounin level, I'm sure it'll be a breeze. Besides, I'm sure there'd be other shinobi fighting there too." Kakashi explained.

"Hai. Byakugan! He is headed towards the district near the entrance of the village."

"Oh come on. We just came from there!" Kakashi sighed, as he ran off. Neji then sprinted off to the west.

_

* * *

_

Itachi…Itachi…Itachi…

_-Flashback-_

"_Why? Why did you kill the clan? I don't understand!" Sasuke, as a child sobbed as he asked his beloved brother that question._

"_Sasuke…Hate me, detest me and kill me when you get stronger…" _

_-end of flashback-_

_He didn't say why he killed the clan…I'm going to ask him that, then kill him._ Sasuke mentally noted as he sprinted towards the village, full speed with a deathly aura and glare plastered on his face. He could see the outline of the village, despite the heavy damage at the entrance.

"I should enter by the back of the village. It should be the most unguarded." Sasuke raised his speed as he made a round around the village, before jumping over the walls ten minutes later.

_Where is he? _Sasuke turned his sharingan on, searching for him. He suddenly noticed a shinobi of high chakra levels nearby and concluded it to be Itachi.

"Found you." Sasuke smirked in content as he rushed towards that area. Little did he know, Sakura had been following behind him all along, masking her chakra.

_-Flashback to when Sasuke left her with Naruto and gang-_

"_SASUKE!" Sakura screamed after him._

_"Hah, this is what you get when you talk back to Sasuke-kun! Now he hates you, and still likes me! I know so much more about Sasuke than you do!" Karin muttered to herself as she grinned at Sakura's defeat to Sasuke._

"_What now?" Suigetsu and Ino sighed._

"…_We get to Konoha. Sakura…Don't tell me…?" Naruto looked at her, knowing what was on her mind._

"_Don't object to me doing it, Naruto." Sakura turned to face him with a determined look._

"_Oh sharks, you aren't gonna-"_

"_Yes, you guys go ahead to the entrance of Konoha and defend the village. I'll follow Sasuke to look for Itachi and sneak in with him secretly in case anything goes wrong."_

"_No way! He dared you to! NO ONE accepts an Uchiha's dare! But this is different… In that case, I'll go with you!" Naruto said, with the word serious written all over his face._

"_Absolutely not. You're lousy when it comes to hiding. He is SURE to find out that we're tailing him if you go! I'll go alone, he won't be able to sense me. I'll follow far behind, promise." Sakura reassured Naruto, who was hesitant, but gave in to Sakura's determined look. _

"_Don't get yourself into trouble, Sakura-chan." He muttered as she jumped off, hoping to be able to catch up with Sasuke._

"_N-Naruto-kun…S-Sakura-chan is strong…Y-you c-can trust her…" Hinata tapped Naruto on the back, hiding the heavy blush coloring her face._

_-end of flashback-_

"He found Itachi that fast! I thought we'd be able to buy some time…Crap. What now? What if they go too far?" Sakura started to worry as she quickly continued tailing him.

* * *

"Choji! Are you okay!" Shikamaru rushed over to his best bud as they reached the east.

"Yeah…Watch out, they're everywhere!" Choji winced in pain.

"So many zombies! I Shall take this as training!" Lee grinned as he started to kick butt.

"Let's compete! I bet I can take down more zombies than you can!" Ten Ten challenged him.

"We'll see about that! HAH!" Lee continued fighting.

"What's with these two…" Sai scratched his head as he fake smiled.

* * *

"Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!" Neji chanted as he began to deliver his attack, disabling chakras of the resurrected shinobi.

"Neji-san, more zombies at 2 o'clock!" A Chuunin ninja shouted towards him.

"What? No, it's already four pm, dummy!" Another chuunin argued with him.

"Idiot! I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about directions!" The Chuunin rolled his eyes.

"Annoying… They use a stupid term 'Zombie' instead of resurrected shinobi. How embarrassing." Neji sighed to himself as he did the jutsu again.

* * *

"I see you've found me, copy-ninja Kakashi." Kisame smirked.

"Ah, it's been a long time, hasn't it." Kakashi faked a laugh.

"Let me guess, you're going to ask me why we are here and ask us to stop terrorizing this village blahblahblah." Kisame sighed.

"Nope. You're here for Naruto's Kyuubi because Pain commanded you to do so. You guys would stop terrorizing the village once the Kyuubi is obtained, no?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows in confidence.

"…How did you know that?" Kisame twitched.

"I've not only got the looks, I've got the brains too. Heh." Kakashi grinned to himself. _Actually, Gaara said so in his note he sent with Takamaru…_

"Whatever. This isn't a fair match. You caught me before I got to my desired fighting spot." Kisame raised a pointer.

"Yeah, I know; precisely why I caught you here. You won't be able to do jutsu without a huge mass of water. This happens to be the place with the least water supply in the whole village, dumbass." Kakashi smiled.

"…Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

"Has your Taijutsu improved?" Kakashi asked.

"Plenty." Kisame got in stance.

* * *

"Hah. Do you think I would tell you? Do you think _anybody_ in the village would tell you? Well, you thought wrong then. We are one and we would _never_ betray a friend." Tsunade sneered in confidence.

"I meant no disrespect… I have to get the information and capture him quick. The faster I get it, the lesser damage would be caused to the village." Itachi maintained his calm composure.

"Forget about getting the information and prepare to get your butt kicked." Tsunade cracked her knuckles.

"I'm sorry... but you won't be able to battle me." Itachi declared.

"Why do you think so?" Tsunade pressed on.

"…Because, I have a visitor." Itachi's cryptic words left Tsunade confused, when she suddenly jumped off from the ground.

"Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" A voice known too well screamed as huge flames covered the ground. Itachi jumped out swiftly too, before landing on the ground as graceful.

"I see you haven't changed one bit…" Itachi noted aloud. Tsunade widened her eyes.

"Itachi…You're going to pay…" The voice seethed from the flames, as a person emerged from them.

"…It's been quite awhile, how strong have you become…Sasuke?" Itachi switched his sharingan on.

"Oh crap…" Both Tsunade and Sakura muttered to themselves.

* * *

Me: HEY. Sorry for the short chappie again. If it ended here as a cliffhanger it'd seem cooler! :"D Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate and smile at every single one of them!

Tsunade: …

Me: I'll be gone, so readers of You are the One For Me, Please be patient :3

Tsunade: …

Me: I'm so tired! Ahhhh, the chappie's short so you guys would get to read it before I leave. Plus I had to make the chappie short for me to finish it. I've got the whole ending done. HIP HIP HOORAYYYY!

Tsunade: Will you shut it?

Me: Fine, Fine…Your turn.

Tsunade: AHEM! Read, Review and Give Ideas!


	19. Chapter 19 Significant Past

CHAPTER 19: Significant Past

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Mashashi Kishimoto.

Hellooo readers and reviewers! The story is gonna end soon! Sad for me, Sad for you! ):! Well, to brighten up, here's a joke for you.

There are 4 stages in life.

You believe in Santa Claus

You don't believe in Santa Claus

You ARE Santa Claus

You Look like Santa Claus

Probably not funny, but I chuckled at it when I saw it at a small column of the newspapers. xD Time for credits.

**THANK YOU REVIEWERS ( order in first chapter- latest chapter reviews.) CHECK IT OUT REVIEWERS, YOUR NAMES ARE HERE. ;)**

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**Seriously, love you guys. **

**Of course, not forgetting the wonderful READERS (that didn't review, but it's okay!) and people that Faved/ Suscribed to my story! At maybe the last chapter, I'll include**_** Everyone's**_** names.**

P.S, sorry it took so long for the update, this is one of the most important chapters (actually the following chapters are all very important). It is the time where Itachi and Sasuke reunite!

* * *

Goosebumps formed on both teacher and student as they watched the terrifying sight before them.

"This wasn't supposed to happen here and now…" Tsunade bit her lip.

"Sasuke, I have no time for you… I have come here for a different purpose. Besides, you are not strong enough yet." Itachi said.

"You'll see. I've been saving all my power for you." Sasuke laughed wickedly as he replied to Itachi's question.

"All this time, while fighting with my team, I've been using only half of my power, only at times I use three quarters, so that all my chakra and energy would generate and come out full when I battle you. What's more…" Sasuke trailed off as he pointed to his curse mark. "I have this."

Itachi just looked at Sasuke impassively.

"What you've obtained so far isn't true power, little brother." Itachi said as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"What did you say?" Sasuke spat as he turned his Sharingan on and began doing hand signs.

"Oh no, no, no… This is going to be bad…" Sakura trembled in fear as she watched from a corner of the village at the terrifying sight before her, an Uchiha's battle.

* * *

Kakashi and Kisame were practically dancing throughout the whole area. They were either punching, kicking or dodging each other's attacks.

"When you say plenty, it's by a huge amount." Kakashi panted.

"Not so useless without water huh?" Kisame grinned.

"Not so sure yet." Kakashi did hand signs.

"Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!" Kakashi said as flames came out from his mouth. Kisame quickly jumped away from the flames.

"Oi! That's so not fair!" Kisame twitched.

"Whatever, my village, my rights." Kakashi chuckled.

"Sharingan!" Kakashi pulled his head band up.

"OI. THAT'S DOUBLE THE CHEAT. You've got so many other advantages! Not fair! Not the red eye thing too!" Kisame cried.

"Who's problem is it?" Kakashi asked.

"…Mine…"

"So, how does it concern me?" Kakashi smiled as Kisame sighed.

"…In no way."

"Smart boy!" Kakashi smiled broadly, causing Kisame to roll his eyes.

"You disgust me, you know, Kakashi." Kisame twitched as he ran forward, sending a kick to Kakashi.

* * *

"Done, where else are the resurrected shinobi invading?" Neji asked as he finished off the last shinobi

"We're not so sure, Neji-san! Wait! Look there, there's an unfamiliar shinobi running towards us!" One Chuunin pointed out as Neji narrowed his eyes.

"HEY, HEY YOU!" The guy Neji didn't know started yelling as he waved his arms around in the air and stopped abruptly in front of him.

"Do I know you?" Neji looked at him, trying to guess who he was.

"Yeah… no. I'm Suigetsu and we haven't met. Well you know Naruto Uzumaki and you are Neji, right? I'm affiliated with him some how." Suigetsu asked.

"Aa, and yes I know the idiot."

"Uh… not exactly the word I'd describe him, but yeah I guess. He told me to tell you this top secret thing!" Suigetsu told Neji.

"Hn…what is it?"

"…It's top secret."

"Just say it." Neji snapped, and Suigetsu pointed towards the two other chuunins behind Neji. Neji sighed and motioned them to go away, to which they did.

"Now?" Neji asked, impatient.  
"Okay! Come closer!" Sugietsu pointed to Neji's ear. Neji sighed in annoyance as he moved closer to Suigetsu. Suigetsu then whispered into his ear.

"Dracula…salivating over…Sasuke to eat and touch him!" Neji backed away after hearing Suigetsu's words and repeated what Suigetsu had told him.

"OH MY GOSH, SERIOUS!" Suigetsu gasped.

"NO, that was what you told me!" Neji shook Suigetsu.

"Oh no no, I said Sakura is chasing after Sasuke who is going after Itachi! How could that become Dracula salivating after Sasuke to eat and touch him!" Suigetsu laughed.

"…Dracula sounds like Sakura. Chasing after sounds like Salivating over… and Itachi sounds like eat and touch him." Neji spat.

"Wow, you are messed up, dude." Suigetsu patted Neji on the shoulder.

"Tch…SAKURA'S AFTER SASUKE!" Neji suddenly screamed.

"…Dude, you're slow." Suigetsu sighed.

"That's bad. A battle between Itachi and Sasuke would be dangerous and with Sakura nearby… She might not come back. She could die from the blows they give from each other." Neji closed his eyes in frustration.

"No way…"

"A person can't be near a battle, otherwise they'd definitely be affected!" Neji stated.

"What? Why, I don't get it, I'm usually around any of my team's battles…" Suigetsu scratched his head.

"…Were you unconscious, not moving, frozen or disabled in anyway?" Neji asked.

"Well, yeah in most of them."

"Then obviously you'd not be affected! Plus, your team knows you are there, they would obviously make sure you are safe and be careful of each move they make." Neji heaved a big sigh.

"Oh."

"In Sakura's case, wherever Itachi and Sasuke go to, she'd follow. To add on, they do not know she's there because she'd obviously mask her chakra. They'd make attacks without caring and it may lead to her getting injured or worse…death." Neji stared at Suigetsu.

"…OH FREAK. We should have never let her go! What now! Naruto asked me to quickly report this to you as he knew you'd have a strategy." Suigetsu said. _"Suigetsu! We've already reached Konoha! Quickly go find this guy with white eyes and long black hair wearing white and that has a stoic serious face. Tell him about Sakura and Sasuke. He'll know what to do. Once he gets a strategy, quickly do whatever you can about it." _Suigetsu thought back on what Naruto said. Neji smirked.

"He was right to say that. This is what you have to do." Neji trailed off as he whispered something into Suigetsu's ear.

* * *

"Chidori!" Sasuke yelled as he charged towards Itachi. Itachi just stood there with a blank expression on his face.

"I told you…" Itachi started and stopped Sasuke's attack by suddenly appearing behind him and grabbing both Sasuke's hands and held them to his back.

"My objective now isn't you. This isn't the right time or place to battle." Itachi stated as 'Sasuke' suddenly turned into snakes. Itachi could only wait for Sasuke to appear again.

"Genjutsu…" Tsunade bit her lip. _He has become strong… The village would be more chaotic if they battled here._

A kunai was suddenly placed to Itachi's throat.

"Let's go elsewhere then." Sasuke said, appearing behind Itachi's back.

"You've become strong, but I have-"

"This village is already in enough chaos! You have nothing else to do now in this god damn place." Sasuke interrupted Itachi. He then suddenly jerked his head up and jumped out of the way. Kunai and shuriken had taken his place on the ground behind 'Itachi' as he turned into crows, which flew away.

_This is a tough battle of genjutsu… It's too confusing to know which is reality or illusion! _Sakura scrunched her eyebrows.

"UCHIHA ITACHI, UCHIHA SASUKE, GET YOUR BUTTS OUT OF THIS VILLAGE NOW." Tsunade screamed in anger, to which both Uchihas turned to face her.

"Stay out of our-" Sasuke was about to say, but got interrupted by Itachi.

"Tsunade-sama, we meant no disrespect. We'll be done in a second." Itachi nodded.

"I said, get out of the village _this instant_." Tsunade gritted her teeth.

"I'll be back then. Sasuke… I'll admit that there has been a dramatic improvement on your abilities… See you at the place that holds a significant past…" Itachi closed his eyes as he suddenly disappeared.

"Shit! He's gone!" Sasuke widened his eyes. _Just where did he go…?The place that holds a significant past? The Uchiha Compound? No… he left the village. Then… _Sasuke thought to himself for a few minutes before snapping his eyes open.

"The Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold!" Sasuke said as he quickly ran towards his destination.

"Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold? Where the hell is that?" Sakura slapped her forehead.

"Sakura, I know you're there." Tsunade called out, causing Sakura to freeze.

"Shishou…" Sakura stood up from where she was crouching down, watching the battle.

"But, I masked my chakra and everything else!" Sakura blinked.

"I'm the Hokage, what can you expect?" Tsunade smirked as she stretched her arms out to Sakura. Sakura laughed and ran towards her, hugging her.

"I'm so sorry for sending you on that mission… Had I known-"

"Shishou, honestly, that was the best thing that could have happened. I got to see Sasuke and hang with his team!" Sakura smiled.

"But, it was dangerous and you're 'hanging out' with a S-rank Criminal!" Tsunade sighed.

"Sasuke is still Sasuke, he hasn't changed much." Sakura retorted.

"Obviously it's because you joined the team…" Tsunade muttered.

"What? Anyway, sorry…I've not no time to chat now, I have to go chase after Sasuke!" Sakura stepped back.

"Do you know how dangerous that is?" Tsunade shook her.

"…I've been in tons of dangerous situations. Recent ones being staying in a team of missing nins, almost getting tortured to death by Kabuto, fighting Deidara and the somehow alive Sasori and lastly fight Kisame and Uchiha Shishui. What is this to me?" Sakura winked.

"WHAT!" Tsunade gasped.

"I'll be fine, trust me. Where is this Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold again?" Sakura asked.

"…Fine. Be careful. It's pretty difficult to explain the exact location as it is hidden so take Katsuyu with you." Tsunade did hand signs and summoned her slug.

"Sakura-chan, I'll lead you there." Katsuyu said and Sakura smiled.

"I'll see you later, Shishou!" Sakura said before running out of the village in top speed.

"Good luck, Sakura…" Tsunade smiled at her apprentice. _Everyone is working hard to protect the village now and everyone plays a part in something. You, Sakura, play a part in changing Sasuke. _

_

* * *

_

-Flashback-

"_Brother!" A young Sasuke ran towards Itachi._

"_Finally found me hmm, Sasuke?" Itachi chuckled as he ruffled Sasuke's hair._

"_It was hard! You used your chakra to get all the way here, right? My legs hurt from running! You broke the rule of not using ninja techniques!" Sasuke pouted as he panted heavily._

"_Well, in a game of catch, you're supposed to run as fast as you can, making sure the catcher doesn't catch you no matter what, so I guess it doesn't apply. Fine, fine, I'll treat you to onigiri on the way back." Itachi smiled gently, causing Sasuke to cheer and get excited. _

"_Ne…what is this place? It looks so grand and…expensive." Sasuke looked up at the building behind Itachi._

"_This place? It's the Uchiha Stronghold. It is the base of the Uchiha clan. I guess you can call it a secret meeting place. You know what's so special about this place?" Itachi carried Sasuke and placed him on his shoulder._

"_Hmm…that it is big?" Sasuke turned to Itachi, who chuckled at the comment._

"_Well, no. Someone once told me that if you make a wish at night on the rooftop of this building, it would come true." Itachi winked._

"_Really? Who told you?" Sasuke gasped._

"_Father. He told me that when he was a little kid around your age, he went up there to make a wish, wanting to be successful when he grew up and have a big happy family." Itachi walked away from the building._

"_That's so cool! His wish came true! Let's try tonight!" Sasuke said, getting excited._

"_Sure, let's go back and get some food before coming back here at night, alright?" Itachi continued walking._

"_Okay!"_

_-End of flashback-_

"So much for having a big happy family…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he continued jumping from tree to tree, an unreadable expression set on his face.

He suddenly stopped, looking at the building before him. _The place that holds a __**significant past**__… _Sasuke thought to himself as he entered the building, to see Itachi sitting on the throne of the throne room.

"You're finally here." Itachi said.

"Why this place of all places?" Sasuke seethed.

"Holds the bond we had in the past. The night we wished our hearts out. You were so young. We started having our wishes here, we end it here if needed too." Itachi said.

"Do you remember our wishes?" Itachi asked, and Sasuke closed his eyes in frustration of the memory.

_-flashback-_

"_Mmm! That onigiri was real yummy! Time to make a wish now, brother, you go first!" Sasuke grinned._

"_Hmm, I do not have any wish, Sasuke." Itachi turned to him._

"_Why not? At least one?" Sasuke shook Itachi._

"_Okay then… I wish that…Sasuke would have a really nice and pretty girl that really loves him, and for him to love her back. I also wish that he would become stronger, maybe surpass me one day and hope that our bond would not be forgotten if ever something should happen." Itachi looked up to the sky._

"_No! All the wishes were for me, how about yourself?" Sasuke shook his head._

"_Nothing… I already have everything I want, one of those being a wonderful little brother like you." Itachi chuckled and Sasuke blushed._

"_Brother… How embarrassing. My turn! I've got a whole list!" Sasuke grinned._

"_I wish for a whole room filled with tomatoes and onigiris and for me to learn techniques fast. I also wish I could go on missions and fight ninjas and feel cool and-"_

"_Sasuke… those are only things you want to achieve. A wish would have to be something meaningful." Itachi interrupted Sasuke._

"_Oh… okay then. Mmm…I wish that I would be able to surpass brother and be a great hero in the village. Also, I wish to have a girl that likes me for who I am, and not only for my looks or whatever. Then, we'll have a big family and bring light to the Uchiha compound! Father would be so proud of me! I also wish for a hundred more wishes!" Sasuke grinned broadly and Itachi poked his forehead._

"_Funny little guy. This marks the beginning of us heading towards the path of fulfilling our wishes." Itachi lay down on the floor, resting his head on his arms. Sasuke followed suit._

"_I love tonight." Sasuke mumbled as he smiled to himself._

_-End of Flashback-_

"No, I don't remember." Sasuke denied it.

"Hn. You've not changed much character wise, and I am pretty shocked." Itachi noted aloud.

"What?"

"You were with Orochimaru. I thought you'd be more corrupted with power than this. In fact…You're nothing much like what I expected you to be- A power driven monster." Itachi explained.

"What are you implying?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"I've been watching your team's movements for some time now… If I'm not wrong, it has got to do with the pink haired lady. The same one you seemed to have a crush on when you were in Konoha Academy, according to Shisui's belief at that time. Sakura-san, was it?" Itachi raised his eyebrows.

"Don't bring her into this." Sasuke glared.

"I've been abstaining myself from using the Curse Seal and my maximum powers as long as Sakura has been on the team for her safety and so she wouldn't witness the terror of it once again… Now that she isn't here…I can go all out on you." Sasuke smirked.

"Sounds like she means a lot to you." Itachi leaned back on the chair.

"That's not important now. What's important is that the real battle starts here and now." Sasuke increased the intensity of his glare.

* * *

Me: DONE! Chapter 19 WHOOOHOOOO! I love you readers and reviewers.

Itachi: Hn.

Me: Yup, say the line EAT AND TOUCH HIM.

Itachi: Eat and touch him?

Me: Didn't you pay attention to Neji's scene? He said Itachi sounded like Eat and touch him.

Itachi: How does that sound like my name?

Suigetsu: He is messed up.

Neji: It was your verbal pronunciation skills, which is horrible.

Me: Okay, say the line Itachi.

Itachi: Read, review and give ideas.


	20. Chapter 20 Sharingan

CHAPTER 20- Sharingan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or whatever. Only this story (:

Hey guys! The story's surely coming to an end soon now. I've got to remind you though, read this.

Any horrible thing that happens will be related to the sequel. DUH ^^

Anyway, Enjoy peeps! Please do review. I'm trying my best to improve on my writing now. Oh I've got a emo poem in Sasuke's P.O.V ready, by the way. If interested, PM me.

**I really hope to reach 200 reviews. Fulfill my ending story **_**soon**_** wish pretty please. **

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Oh, Hinata-chan! I just finished off those zombie things. What? Please don't tell me that there's more…" Naruto turned to Hinata.

"N-No… I c-can't feel neither Sasuke-kun nor Sakura-chan's c-chakra in the village…" Hinata stuttered as she looked down nervously.

"What? That teme…he must have went out of the village and Sakura had to follow him. Ugh, I hope Suigetsu got to Neji quick. I'm afraid of Sakura-chan's safety. She's reckless." Naruto scratched his head in frustration.

"H-Have faith in her…" Hinata smiled slightly as she looked away again.

"Have more faith in yourself first, Hinata-chan! Let's go find more locations where help is needed." Naruto grinned as he pulled a blushing Hinata.

* * *

"Head south all the way for 2 kilometers before heading west for 200 meters then east for…" Suigetsu said in confusion as he tried to remember the rest of the directions that Tsunade had given him to the Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold.

_-Flashback-_

_"Look, this would seem pretty simple and obvious, but it won't be an easy task." Neji said. _

"_I'm ready. What?" Suigetsu inched closer._

"_This is the only option. Go to the hokage. She has blonde hair, looks really young and is really reckless. You'll know it's her when you see her. Tell her that you're looking for Sakura Haruno. She'll make the connections if necessary to try to find her. She'll give you the directions if you make her trust you." Neji stated slowly._

"_Huh? What am I going to her for?"_

"_You have to follow Sakura. You've been on her team for the most recent timings, so you should know how she'll think and things like that. Find her and bring her back to Konoha immediately. Knock her out if needed. She can't stay there." Neji answered._

"_What? How about Sasuke and his brother?" Suigetsu asked._

"_It's better not to interfere with them, they might injure you to get you out of the way, having a chance of harming Sakura in the process." Neji gave Suigetsu a serious look._

"_Wow. I came all the way here just to ask you for directions on what to do only to be told to follow Sakura. What an obvious answer to give." Suigetsu rolled his eyes._

"_Well, genius, do you have any other suggestions on what we can do in this sort of a situation?" Neji glared at him._

"…_No."_

"_Then shut up and get your butt out of here." Neji jumped off._

"_Geezers, that dude is both sick in the mind and bad tempered." Suigetsu raised his eyebrows and went off to find Tsunade._

_-End of Flashback-_

"That hokage is really one of a kind…When I finally found her, she threw six men about a kilometer away with just a flick of her finger…That Neji dude seriously meant reckless…" Suigetsu sweat dropped at the thought. _What's more, I had to do something SO weird just for her to trust me._

_-Flashback-_

"_You there! What do you want?" Tsunade suddenly jerked her head to the right. Suigetsu froze from where he was hiding and approached her slowly.  
"Um…I'm from Sasuke Uchiha's team and uh, Naruto Uzumaki too. Neji told me to look for you to get information on where Sakura Haruno is." Suigetsu said._

"_How do I know you actually know them, huh?" Tsunade challenged as she observed him._

"_I uh… AH!I KNOW HOW THEY LOOK AND ACT LIKE!" Suigetsu suddenly raised his hand._

"_Oh yeah? Prove it." Tsunade smirked._

"_Uh… Sasuke has black hair and Sakura has pink hair. Sasuke's emo and Sakura's all sunshine. Naruto uh… AH" Suigetsu's face suddenly lit up as he searched his small pack at his waist belt. His hands finally found what they were looking for and took it out, hairdye and eyeliner. _

"_If only I had his costume…" Suigetsu sighed as he quickly put on eyeliner and started dying his hair. He spread the hair dye and waited for awhile before running off somewhere to rinse it off, leaving his hair blonde. _

"_Uh… WATASHIWA UZUMAKI NARUTO, I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE, AND BE STRONGER THAN SASUKE-TEME, DATTEBAYOOO!" Suigetsu imitated Naruto's voice as he did a pose and grinned widely. Tsunade chuckled at it._

"_So you do know Naruto eh?" Tsunade raised her eyebrows._

"_Yeah. Sakura bought me the hairdye and eyeliner. Naruto just recently reconnected with our team. I need to find Sakura. She followed Sasuke and Neji said it'd be dangerous for her. Please tell me her location so I can bring her back!" Suigetsu bowed. Tsunade just looked at him, deciding on whether to tell him or not._

"_I can act as Sasuke too!" Suigetsu suddenly said, as he put his hands in his pocket._

"_Hmn…Whatever dobe." _

"_I CAN DO INO, HINATA AND SAKURA TOO." Suigetsu added in immediately as he 'tuned' his voice into that of a girl's. "Oh, my, GOD! My nails are gonna get broken if I continue this match! I need a manicure, pedicure and a massage! Billboard-brow, stop staring at me like I'm such a whore!" He mimicked Ino and flicked his hair, before continuing and pressed his two fingers against each other. _

"_N-Naruto-Kun…I-I can help y-you if you w-want…" He mimicked Hinata, before continuing by putting his hands on his hips._

"_Sasuke! Stop being so reckless, I swear you're such an idiot! What made me like you that much when we were genin anyway?" Suigetsu finished off, leaving Tsunade blinking._

"_Right, so you do know them. I would have given you Katsuyu who would be able to give you directions, but as you can see…Every single person has Katsuyu attached to them to restore their health. I have not enough chakra to have one more on you… Here's a challenge then. I'll give you the exact location to get there. If you REALLY are from Sakura and Sasuke's team, you would be able to remember this, as your team travels a lot. Sakura is the impatient kind, so she'd surely get the directions mixed up, but I'm not sure about yourself. It's really difficult to explain but I'll try my best. Listen up…" Tsunade trailed off as she whispered into Suigetsu's ear._

_-End of Flashback-_

"She was serious when she said it was really difficult… She was right about Sakura too. Sakura would surely get everything mixed up with her personality to get things done quickly." Suigetsu nodded.  
"Ah…It's gonna be difficult finding them…" Suigetsu sighed as he looked around the area.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, they are only less than 50 meters away now. I suggest you hide as far away as you can in case their attacks harm you…" Katsuyu spoke up, as she rested on Sakura's shoulder.

"I'll be fine; I know it. 50 meters ahead, right? I'll take care of the rest, Katsuyu. You can go back to Shishou." Sakura smiled in gratitude. Katsuyu nodded in reluctance as she slowly disappeared. Sakura then proceeded to jump in silence as she searched desperately for Sasuke, only to hear voices as she did so.

"You sure you want to do this?" A deep, mysterious voice was heard. Sakura decreased her speed and started walking slowly, step by step towards the source of the voices.

"For a long time now." Sakura heard Sasuke's voice reply and she froze for awhile, before tip-toeing sideward. She looked around, finding a good place to hide while trying her best to not make her presence known. She then spotted a huge cave, with bushes covering part of the entrance. She smirked as she ran towards the cave with light steps, only to trip over a log next to the bushes. _Crap! _She thought to herself as leaves flew up from the impact of her weight.

"Noise." Sasuke briefly said as he turned towards the bushes and shot a kunai towards it. Sakura, unaware of the flying weapon, tried to get up when a kunai suddenly flew past her face by just a few centimeters and hit the wall of the cave behind her. _Oh my god, too close! _She froze for a little before doing a jutsu. A cat ran out from the bushes, hissing in pain with its lower body bleeding a little. It then ran off.

"Tch, just a cat." Sasuke rolled his eyes as he brought his attention back to Itachi.

_Thank god for the training Tsunade gave me on how to henge objects into animals or humans… _Sakura sighed in relief as she got up and positioned herself in a way that made the battle view perfect enough. _That guy is Sasuke's older brother huh… _Sakura thought to herself as she observed the older Uchiha, with long hair and the same type of hanging fringe by the side of his face as Sasuke. His hair neatly tied up and Akatsuki Cloak neatly worn, she would have thought he was Sasuke had he not spoke in his deep voice, slightly different from Sasuke's based on tone and language._ Itachi Uchiha…The man Sasuke wants to kill… _

"Chidori Sharp Spear!" Sasuke murmured as he shot a blade of electricity with a single hand into Itachi. Itachi just stood there, unmoving, awaiting Sasuke's attack. This only agitated Sasuke, causing him to raise another hand, doing the same. It had hit Itachi, but Itachi suddenly burst into flames, and shuriken flew out of it. Sasuke, noticing them, quickly jumped out of the way, making the Chidori Spear slash a tree vertically. The tree slammed down right beside Sakura, making her twitch and move nearer to the entrance of the cave for her safety.

* * *

"You know what? We're doing nothing much in this village. We're just waiting for the war to end." Karin rolled her eyes as she looked at Juugo.

"It isn't our business…If you want to leave, you could, just consider yourself out of the team." Juugo smiled.

"UGH." Karin groaned, annoyed.

"OI, MOVE AWAY!" Someone shouted from a distance as Karin turned her head only to be hit by a unmoving zombie's body.

"AHHHHHH!" She screamed as she pushed it away and checked her nails and hair.

"I TOLD YOU TO MOVE OFF, LADY!" The shinobi shouted, annoyed.

"Oh, I'm going to kick these annoying zombie's butts till they bleed." Karin's face turned angry.

* * *

"Oi, Kisame! Stop sun tanning on the ground; burnt sushi isn't meant to be eaten!" Kakashi mocked as he dispelled the chidori currents coming from his hand.

"I wouldn't be on the floor if it wasn't for your stupid jutsus!" Kisame sat up and yelled.

"Too bad for you." Kakashi smirked as Kisame charged towards him with his samehada. Kakashi jumped out of the way and made a shadow clone, one of them doing rasengan and the other chidori.

* * *

"Why?" Sasuke started. "Why did you kill the clan?"

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. "For pleasure." He said.

"What?" Sasuke seethed with anger.

"I wanted to show them that they were all _weak _and wanted to please myself on how strong I was compared to all of _them_." Itachi answered, pokerfaced. Sasuke charged towards him, black comas spinning in circles wildly in his now red eyes as he drew out his Kusunagi. He tried slashing Itachi, who just dodged every single move Sasuke made.

"Why didn't you kill me along with them, HUH?" Sasuke yelled as he released chidori currents that flowed through the sword, still yielding it.  
"I wanted you to hate me and kill me with your own ha-"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Sasuke roared as he finally slammed Itachi onto a tree.

"No, Sasuke. You're lying, to yourself." Itachi disappeared, causing Sasuke to punch the tree in fury.

"This whole thing was a genjutsu…ITACHI, WHERE ARE YOU!" Sasuke had gone mad, Sakura concluded in fear.

"Stop playing games and come out here! I want to end this here and NOW!" Sasuke called out. Sasuke turned around to see Itachi staring at him.

"Let's get this done with, then. I can then return to do what I'm supposed to do." Itachi sighed as he summoned countless shuriken and started throwing them at Sasuke.

"The wind is now blowing towards the east of this place. Your shuriken wouldn't even hit me." Sasuke stated as he stood there, observing the clouds.

_Shikamaru had told me that clouds determine the direction of the wind in one of the missions._

Itachi ignored his comment and continued throwing shuriken towards Sasuke, all of them missing Sasuke and being pulled towards the east. Suddenly, blood was drawn from Sasuke's skin and he winced in pain. A shuriken had hit his shoulder. Soon, five more had hit him and he jumped out of the way, using his sharingan to observe the scene closely. Itachi had attached chakra strings onto the shuriken, thus them being able to move in a direction Itachi wanted. Sasuke smirked and while still in the air, he murmured a jutsu then swung his Kusunagi back, aiming to plunge it into Itachi's chest. He was 'flying' down towards Itachi and just when he was a meter away from him, Itachi stopped the kusunagi with his hands. Sasuke grinned wickedly as a clone came out from behind Itachi.

He had activated his curse seal then, as black marks appeared, slowly dominating his whole body. Sakura widened her eyes and started shaking in fear, slamming her eyes shut and putting her hands on her head, pulling her hair lightly whilst shivering. She couldn't stand the sight of the curse seal. Memories of the chuunin exam flooded her mind when Sasuke had lost control of himself.

Itachi's once indifferent face was now evaded by a little shock as he turned behind to meet Sasuke's clone, who also had marks all over him, shooting out various sharp blade like forms. Several had hit him, and Sasuke now knew this Itachi was the real thing, before yelling out another jutsu.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire technique.) A dragon-shaped fireball was released into the air and Sasuke skillfully manipulated the great fire, attacking Itachi. He had compressed a large amount of chakra built up inside his body and he seemed tired by then, Sakura noted in awe.

Itachi widened his eyes as he jumped out of the huge fire's way, dodging and avoiding it as much as he could. As he did so, the fire merely brushed against his left hand, burning it badly and Itachi winced in pain.  
"Amaterasu!" Itachi chanted, activating his Mangekyo **Sharingan.** The jet black flames of Amaterasu were powerful enough to smother Sasuke's fire technique, to Itachi's relief. His eyes then began to bleed.

The flames from the jutsu performed by Sasuke had temperature that was so hot, most trees around the area had burnt down. The bush Sakura was hiding behind had also burnt a little from the temperature, making Sakura move into the entrance of the cave, hiding behind a rock, still in clear view of the battle.

Both Sasuke and Itachi began to pant from the amount of chakra they had to release.  
"H-how did you obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke asked Itachi.

"I killed Shisui." Itachi stated blunty, panting.

"STOP LYING. Shisui told me himself that he was killed by assassins!" Sasuke snapped.

"…"

"Who was it that died and made you feel the emotion from the loss?" Sasuke calmed down.

Itachi looked down to the ground in sadness before replying,

"You, Sasuke."

* * *

Me: Oh my gosh, a hard chapter finally done! :) I'm sorry if it didn't meet your expectations or something... I tried my utmost best! I really hope to reach 200 reviews by the end of my story... ): PLEASE!

Shikamaru: Eh, why am I saying this again?

Me: Um... You're the first person that came to my mind.

Shikamaru: Geez, how troublesome.

Me: Mmhmm, do this or I'll leave you and Ino in a room and-

Shikamaru: Fine, fine. Read, review and give ideas. Troublesome woman...

Me: OHH INO~ SHIKA-

Shikamaru: SHHH! I'm sorry, okay? Don't get her in here!


	21. Chapter 21 Love

CHAPTER 21- Love

Disclaimer: Yes, I indeed own Naruto. HAHAHAHAHA Joke of the year.

OMG. 12 reviews to this story having 200 reviews! Oh pretty please, do hit that review button and write your comments about the story so far! I've got lots of stuff to juggle on my hands now, so updating isn't easy ^^ Sorry for the ultra long update ): I seriously love you guys, though I'm not a fantastic writer, you guys still motivated me by your reviews! Love you!

* * *

"What?" Sasuke tried to decipher what Itachi had just said.

"You heard me."

"What the hell were you implying?" Sasuke got to the point, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Exactly what I had said, Sasuke. You died." Itachi muttered, only loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

"Fact is, I didn't!" Sasuke growled.

"Your physical self did not, but your emotions, your soul, everything that made the younger brother I once had is now gone. All of it…Replaced with darkness, vengeance, and denial of **love**." Itachi stepped forward. Sasuke just kept quiet, expecting Itachi to continue.

"Your inner, true self died. Your warm, caring and loving heart died. Tell me, when was the last time you told someone that you loved them?" Itachi shot a question at the now dazed Sasuke.

"Since…" Sasuke started, muttering the last part, making Itachi look at him confused.

"What? Repeat it, please."

"Since the time…" Sasuke still muttered the last part softly.

"Loud and clear, please."

"SINCE THE TIME YOU WERE STILL WITH ME IN KONOHA. I TOLD YOU I LOVED YOU, OKAY?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits, sending his infamous glare to his older brother.

"Really now? What about Sakura-san? You haven't told her you loved her yet?" Itachi raised his brow, causing Sasuke to shut his eyes.

"What in the world gave you the impression that I loved her?"

"See, Sasuke? As I said, your heart once filled with love, has now been replaced with darkness and denial of love." Itachi chuckled.

"I do not love her."

"And the sky is made out of potatoes floating mid air." Itachi smirked.

"What? I do not."

"You do."

"Do not!"

"You do."

"Do not!"

"You do."

"DO NOT!"

"You do."

"YOU BASTARD, I SAID I DO NOT LOVE HER."

"Oh yeah?"

"Challenge me!"

"Mangekyo Sharingan!"

* * *

With Sakura

"What're they saying? I can't hear anything! Last thing I heard was Sasuke screaming that he told Itachi he loved him in Konoha, and him cursing Itachi, saying he didn't love her." Sakura scratched her head, trying her utmost best to hear their conversation, them suddenly lowering their volume, except reckless Sasuke of course.

"Then again… Who is the girl Sasuke's denying his love for?" Sakura closed her eyes, trying to recall him mentioning of any other girl. It couldn't be Karin, right? What she didn't realize was the emotion, jealousy running around her confused heart.

* * *

"Sakura… Sakura…" Suigetsu looked around.

"Damn! I forgot the directions!" He groaned. He looked around the ground, trying to find traces of anyone being in the area he was at, and looked up at the sky, he let his whole body fall flat onto the ground, admiring the sky above him.

"What now…Sakura's in danger, Sasuke's gone mad, their village is in chaos, and I can't find Sakura…" Suigetsu closed his eyes, and started observing the sky.

_Weird…The sky was clear blue just now, and now it has a little greyish pigment in it… From what I remember, there's a certain smell when the rain's coming. Plus, the sky would slowly turn grey, not just have a grey string of colour running through the air… _Suigetsu narrowed his eyes, trying to conclude something. He suddenly sat up.

"Grey sky equals to pollution, pollution equals to smoke, smoke equals to fire, fire equals to battle, battle equals to Sasuke, Sasuke equals to Sakura! DAMN I'M FREAKING SMART!" Suigetsu started running towards the direction of where the smoke was coming from, screaming in happiness.

"Just a long way to go!"

* * *

"Chidori!" "Rasengan!" Both Kakashi's clones charged towards Kisame. Kisame tried dodging them both, not taking notice that Kakashi had disappeared. He dodged them both and laughed in victory.

"Hah! SUCKER, I dodged both of your sissy attacks!" Kisame taunted. He then started looking around, startled when he saw that Kakashi was not there.

"Stop hiding, white hair! Come out wherever you are!" Kisame rolled his eyes, when suddenly, a grey dog came up to him.  
"Aww, what's a cute little dog doing out here?" Kisame's eyes softened as he bent down to pat the dog. He had always been fond of animals, says the information book of the Akatsuki. Suddenly, the dog bit him, and Kisame felt something stinging on his back.

"It's called summoning a dog to help you out in battles, Kisame, and you fell for it." Kakashi's voice came from behind him.

"…Damn it."

"CHIDORI!"

* * *

"What's this?" Sasuke looked around frantically, confused at his whereabouts.  
"Try remembering this, Sasuke." Itachi's voice came out of nowhere as two figures came to sight. Sasuke looked closely, only to see that the two people were Shisui and himself.

"_Sasuke! Today's your first day at the academy eh?" Shisui smiled as he ran towards Sasuke. "Shisui-san! Yup, but father wouldn't go for the opening ceremony…" Sasuke sighed. _

"_It's okay…I'm sure he was busy. Hey now, are there any cute girls in your class that you're interested in now?" Shisui grinned, causing Sasuke to blush. "N-no! All the girls there are so irritating… all they do is scream my name and tell me they love me when they don't... Shisui-san, why is that so?" Sasuke asked. "Hmm…must be because you've got an extremely cute face and a weird hairstyle that actually fits you!" Shisui answered, laughing. Sasuke pouted for awhile then started laughing too. _

"_Sasuke-kun!" A young Sakura shouted for Sasuke. _

"_Who's the pink haired cutie?" Shisui whispered to Sasuke. "She's just a classmate! And she's not cute…" Sasuke blushed. _

"_Hah, right. You've got me 'fooled' alright. Treat your girl right and capture her heart, before someone else does." Shisui winked at Sasuke._

"_O-oi! I don't like her or anything! I mean she __**is**__ a bit different from the other girls and she is pretty cute and sweet, an- wait…I just don't like her okay!" Sasuke's eyes broadened and he blushed many different shades of red when he realized he was trailing off and looked away. _

"_What a lousy liar, Sasuke… Ahah, go ahead and see what she wants!" Shisui laughed as he pushed Sasuke forth and listened in on their conversation. _

"_Sasuke-kun, Iruka-sensei asked for you! He's in the teacher's lounge." Sakura told Sasuke, who in turn just looked away and replied with an "Aa" before walking past her and into the school building. _

_Shisui closed his eyes and smiled as he muttered to himself, "He so likes her."_

_End of flashback_

"What's this supposed to mean?" Sasuke growled.

"You don't get it? You liked her, it was just a childish crush back then."

"… I don't believe you."

"More? I'll show you all the genin ones at one shot."

"What genin-AHHH!" Sasuke was whirled into another place once again. Memories of team 7 came flushing back, from the time they first met to the time he left. Many familiar scenes started popping up in front of him, and Itachi explained them all.

The first introductions…"My name is Sakura Haruno! I like…hehehe! I want to be…hehehe…One thing I dislike is…Naruto!" _You were blushing when she said that._

The day you became a team…"Loneliness…you'll never understand the pain of having no parents…" _You told her something so important and personal._

During the bell test…"That was Sakura's voice! What happened to her_?" You were concerned when she screamed._

In the land of waves… "Sasuke-kun!" _She was startled when you suddenly appeared in front of her, protecting her._

While fighting Haku… "That was Sakura, what the hell is Kakashi doing out there?" _You cared once again for her well being._

In the forest of death when Orochimaru bit you…"AHHH!" _You screamed in pain and willingly collapsed into her hands, trusting her._

In the forest of death…"Sakura…Who did this to you…?" _You asked her, when she was beaten up when you were unconscious._

While fighting Gaara… "Naruto…take Sakura…and run as far as you can…I don't want to see my precious ones being taken away from me all over again…" _You treated her as one of your 'precious ones'._

After Gaara had been defeated… "Take care of Sakura…" _You sadly said to Pakkun, silently thanking her for saving you._

"Naruto…he saved you, not me, Sakura." _You seethed, jealous that you weren't the one who saved her._

Sasuke looked at all the scenes happening before him with great shock as Itachi started explaining them all, until a final scene came out.

When you left…"Sakura…Thank you for everything."

_You thanked her, resisting the urge to tell her you loved her too._

With that, Sasuke blacked out.

With Sakura:

"Seriously…What the hell is going on?" Sakura seethed softly, annoyed that she couldn't hear a thing. Sasuke and Itachi just stood there, unmoving.

"Could it be that Sasuke's in a genjutsu?" She said to herself.

* * *

"Yes, I can feel some chakra up ahead! It must be them, Here I come, Sakura!" Suigetsu grinned as he increased his speed.

* * *

"What the…" Sasuke rubbed his eyes, as he awakened.

"Itachi…" He seethed, ,when Itachi appeared from the shadows.

"You're still in the genjutsu, Sasuke. Believe me now?" Itachi raised his eyebrows.

"All of those link up to me treating her as a comrade!" Sasuke gritted his teeth in stubbornness.

"You sure about that? Don't tell me you want me to show you more…" Itachi walked towards him.

"What do you mean more?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"You know? When you reunited with her. She wasn't how you expected her to be like, was she?" Itachi pressed on.

"What?"

"I'll show you, _again_." Itachi said, as the scenes started coming in again.

When they first reunited; Sasuke being shocked by the new Sakura.

When he asked her to join the team.

When she had tried to escape and Sasuke had prevented her from doing so.

When the two of them were in the hotel room and Sasuke started a conversation.

When he had ran into the female hot springs to get Sakura, knowing that she had collapsed in there.

When he got worried, knowing that Sakura had been captured by Kabuto.

When he got distracted, finally finding Sakura, and falling for a simple trap set up by Kabuto.

When he got jealous, when he saw Sakura fall on top of Suigetsu.

When his inner almost made him kiss Sakura.

When he reflected on how he had treated her, when she insisted on staying though Naruto had met them.

When he had been worried about her leaving the team, since Naruto was already there.

When jealousy arose, seeing Sakura's lips brushing against Deidara's.

When he was angered, Sasori daring to actually kiss Sakura.

When they had met Idate again, and him getting jealous everytime Idate mentioned Sakura and flirting with her.

When he battled with Idate, using very lame methods of competition.

When he helped Sakura dye her hair back, and fought back the urge to chop Idate's head off when Idate threatened on doing it himself.

When he had put a tracking device on Sakura, being concerned about her.

When he went all frantic, knowing Sakura was in a battle without him.

When he actually cried slightly, thinking Sakura had died in the battle with 'Kisame'.

When he unknowingly snapped Dark Sakura out of Sakura by telling her all her good points.

Sasuke, wide-eyed, fell to the ground, panting at the experience he just had.

"Little brother, I've taken so much time and effort just to show you all these. Love shouldn't be explained, you know. Do you believe me now?" Itachi looked down at him, dispelling the mangekyo sharingan. Sasuke just kept silent, shocked by the latest news flash.

"I…love her?" Sasuke mouthed out.

"You lost the emotion of love all this time, because you were so focused on getting revenge. Revenge had clouded your heart, thus you were not able to know what you were feeling. Now you do." Itachi continued.

"I love her…" Sasuke started registering that fact into his mind.

"Yeah, without knowing. Just try remembering the times when you got jealous when a guy got near to her, or when you were over protective." Itachi walked closer to him.

Suddenly, Sasuke's shocked face turned into one of anger.

"Shut up, Itachi."

"What?"

"Shut the freaking hole on your mouth up!"

"Oh, so you're angry now?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Sasuke yelled, face having anger written all over it.

"Let's get this straight. You're angry at Sakura-san?"

"NO!"

"Oh. So what, don't tell me you're angry at me."

"Yes, but that's not the main point!"

"Ah…I get it. You're angry at yourself for actually loving her."

"…"

"And, for not figuring that out sooner. You're dense, you airhead." Itachi commented. Sasuke's face turned annoyed in a flash.

"You're distracting me, aren't you!" He stood up, glaring at Itachi.

"Excuse me?"

"You're distracting me from the battle!" Sasuke seethed, and began doing handsigns.

"It's all ready now, all the chakra I've stored, and that fire jutsu has finally gotten the clouds to gather." Sasuke continued, smirking.

"I'll give you one last chance…" Sasuke trailed off.

"Why did you kill the clan?"

"…"

"Your chance is over." Sasuke bawled. Curse seal still all over him, he started chanting and doing hand signs in a very fast pace. Itachi just tried to figure out what technique Sasuke was doing, but couldn't make out anything. Itachi looked up at the sky, and saw that there were dark clouds, being there as though they had been more than fifteen minutes ago.

"Why do you think I used that tiring great fire technique and directed it to the sky?" Sasuke challenged Itachi, who just stood there awaiting his answer.

"I don't do things without a reason in battles, Itachi. That technique is supposed to draw out thunder clouds. Now that it's ready…" Sasuke panted from the huge amount of chakra that was used up.

"The entire Uchiha stronghold has already been destroyed, what other damage do you want to cause?" Itachi questioned.

"Damage on you. Using the curse seal would only make this technique more powerful…" Sasuke trailed off, taking a few steps back.

From where Sakura was, she could only gape. _What is Sasuke doing? I've never seen this technique before…_

"Itachi." Sasuke smirked in triumph. Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"Pack your bags, you're going to hell." Sasuke grinned maliciously as he yelled,

"KIRIN!"

* * *

Me: DENGDENGDENG, Oh my...

Gaara: Hn.

Me: Oh hey sandy, how's it going?

Gaara: Sandy...?

Me: Yup. Yknow? Sand village? Sandy? Ahahaha- fine fine.

Gaara: Read, review and give ideas.

Me: Wait ideas aren't really needed cos I got most of it planned out already.

Gaara: But that's the line everyone else says.

Me: Then change it.

Gaara: ...Read and review and stay tuned. How's that?

Me: You used 'and' twice in a sentence, genius.

Gaara: Don't make me make you a sand coffin.

Me: Sheesh, fine.


	22. Chapter 22 Trouble and Emotion

CHAPTER 22: Trouble and Emotion

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. -bows to Masashi Kishimoto-san who I'm still mad at for having Sasu do horrible things to Saku- okay I'm getting carried away-

): Sorry for the late update again! It's been a complicating few weeks with my studies and all! I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it's one of the last few, before the story ends. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 200 PLUS REVIEWS :D:D:D:D

* * *

Thunder clouds started forming on the sky, darkening the area they were at.

"Itachi's Amaterasu and my curse seal intensify the jutsu too." Sasuke smirked in delight as he muttered that sentence to himself. Lightning appeared on the sky, creating a sudden bright flash.

Sasuke carefully shaped the lightning using very little chakra into a giant dragon and started directing it towards Itachi. Itachi, face filled with shock, began concentrating on a 'counter' attack. Sasuke violently, using his hands, directed the lightning fiercely towards Itachi in a very fast speed, it hitting the ground and causing it to break and explode.

Itachi's eyes started bleeding more as a large skeleton with muscle tissue started forming around him at a speed half as fast as Sasuke's lightning. Before the skeleton was fully formed, Kirin entered the zone where Itachi was at and struck Itachi's left leg.  
"Susano-AAAHH!" Itachi screamed as he clutched his leg and fell onto the ground. Before he could even complete his Susanoo technique to protect himself, Sasuke had got him. It slowly dispersed and he was left on the crumbled ground moaning in pain. Sasuke grinned in success as he redirected the lightning to the nearest object worthy of destruction, the cave. Little did he know that that would be the biggest mistake of his life, Sakura being there.

* * *

"Amazing… What technique is he using? I've never seen it before…" Sakura said, moving to the entrance of the cave, crouching down but still getting a good look at the battle scene. She had seen how the lightning destroyed everything in its path and how horrible the battle scene looked now. It was totally destroyed and became a clear patch of crumbled land, trees knocked down and all.

She heard a loud scream and immediately shivered.

"Was that Itachi? What did Sasuke do? I can't really see now with the smoke covering the area…" Sakura tried capturing what was happening, but could only see the bright flashes of the lightning. It was then she realized the lightning was headed towards the cave she was at. Total fear sprawled across her face.

* * *

"The smoke! It's just there!" Suigetsu's eyes shimmered with hope as he started looking around. He suddenly jumped from the intensity of the sudden scream he heard.

"That's definitely Sasuke's battle… Now where's Saku-" Suigetsu paused as he saw a bob of pink hair.

"FINALLY!" He started grinning like an idiot as he started running towards where she was, in the cave.

"Saku-" Just as he was going to yell her name, a loud bolt that caused the ground below him to crumble, accompanied by a very bright flash stunned him, causing him to jump out of the way. His eyes followed the lightning that just went past him and looked at where it was headed. He immediately started panicking with wide eyes.

"SAKURA!" He started running at a very high speed to where Sakura was. If she did not get out of there, the lightning would crumble the whole cave and crush her with it! _Shit, shit shit shit shit what do I do? _Suigetsu stopped in his tracks, knowing he wouldn't make it where she was on time. _Water jutsu! _He suddenly thought of that and started doing hand signs.

_This was the first jutsu I learnt from Mangetsu, and I've never used it since the first time I learnt it for some reason… This is for you, nii-san. _

"Water style: Giant wave!" He chanted as water gathered to form a huge wave, headed towards the cave.

"The water will push Sakura way further into the cave, so the boulders at the entrance part of the cave won't crush her. She'll be safe inside then I'll just have to dig into the entrance and go in to save her." Suigetsu tried to reassure himself.

* * *

Sakura widened her eyes and took several steps back, eyeing the lightning coming towards her. _The cave's gonna collapse in this rate! _She started gaping. Suddenly, a huge wave of water came towards her and pushed her into the cave with the strong currents.

"What the?" _Suigetsu..? _She started struggling to keep herself from drowning into the deep water as the wave took her further into the cave.

Then, she heard a really loud and screeching sound hit the cave. The cave started crumbling into huge 'pieces' and boulders started crashing onto the ground, completely destroying the entrance. There was no light now at where she was, because the only light source was already shielded by boulders. Sasuke's Kirin had already hit the cave, and completely destroyed the whole thing. She gasped as the water brought her deeper into the cave and tried swimming away from the boulders crashing down into the water around her.

"I'm not going to make it!" She gasped as boulders on top her started falling down one by one. She felt her head stinging only to realize that she had hit her head on one of the boulders and slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Crap…Holy mother of…THE _WHOLE_ DAMN THING _COLLAPSED_? WHAT THE? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SAVE HER NOW! I ONLY EXPECTED THE ENTRANCE TO COLLAPSE AND, AND… AHHHHHHHHH SAKURA!" Suigetsu started yelling in regret and melancholy, dropping onto his knees on the ground.

"She's dead…Sakura she's…finished!" He started hitting his head for being so 'stupid'. Tears began forming on his purple eyes.

"She was one of my best friends too… How could I have not saved her?" He cried badly, at the same time muttering how stupid he was and how he could not believe it was happening. Well, it was, and it was Sasuke's fault. Not blaming him totally though, since he had no idea Sakura was there in the first place. This was a messed up situation.

"Sasuke…He'll know what to do! He could save her! There's hope!" Suigetsu's eyes suddenly sparkled as he got up from the ground and started sprinting towards the battle smoke.

* * *

"How does it feel like? To feel pain?" Sasuke walked towards Itachi, who just kept quiet, still having a scrunched up face because of the pain in his leg.

"Well…The pain I felt isn't as bad as what you're feeling right now. You took away my soul, my _everything_!" Sasuke cried out.

"…"

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill the clan? I want to know!" Sasuke demanded an answer. Itachi ignored this.

"You're not going to tell me? Then I'll find out myself. Sharingan!" Sasuke said as he looked into Itachi's eye. He searched for that incident and when he finally found it, he found himself in the past, watching everything that happened on that night his family got killed.

"_Itachi…" Sasuke heard and realized that they were not in Konoha, but somewhere else._

"_Yes…" His brother spoke._

"_Kill the clan." The mysterious guy behind the sheets said. Al that could be seen was his shadow._

"_What?" Itachi stood up, shocked by the request._

"_You heard me. Kill them off. Every single one of them."_

"_Why?"_

"_Listen. If the Uchiha clan isn't killed, it'll continue living on till god knows when. If that happens, there will be "war between the hidden villages due to status and elevation. The Uchiha clan would be the main cause of all these wars, because the neighbouring understand that if they killed the Uchiha clan themselves, they could conquer the world. Thus, this would start an entire war with every single hidden village and the word 'ninja' would not exist after."_

"_I don't understand…" Itachi muttered out. Sasuke just scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion._

"_The Uchiha clan has caused many mishaps. Why did the first shinobi war occur? Simple. Neighboring countries had grudges against the Uchiha clan for being so strong and downgrading the statuses of clans in their village. They were so outraged, they started the war. The Uchiha clan has done nothing but cause deaths. Because of this superior clan, many villages are planning attacks on Konoha to not only elevate their status for killing the Uchiha clan, but to take over the the whole fire country, followed by the whole ninja world. This is why the Uchiha clan should disappear completely- To restore peace and equality." The person ended his little 'speech'. Sasuke widened his eyes at the situation. He immediately turned his attention back to Itachi who was speechless._

"_So, are you killing them? Because if you don't… I'll have someone else do it."_

"_What? No! I won't let them slaughter my family!" Itachi stood up._

"_Well…Itachi… You either kill them, or have them slaughtered before your very own eyes…"_

"_Can't you spare them? At least my family?" Itachi begged, knowing the type of stubborn person the person he was talking to was._

"… _Fine. Only one."_

"_What? How about my parents?"_

"_I said one."_

"_I'll kill them…I'll kill the clan… Don't slaughter them… If they have to die, I'll kill them and make sure it's painless…" Itachi mumbled out, tears filling his eyes._

"_Itachi, you better do it. Otherwise, the whole clan will be tortured to death. Not only that… Everyone in Konoha that you know will die."_

"…_I got it…" Itachi started walking out of the room._

"_Wait."_

"…_Yes?"_

"_Who're you going to spare?"_

"… _Uchiha Sasuke, my younger brother… I don't want him to die; he means a lot to me." Sasuke was surprised by that statement._

"_Very well then, you're dismissed, Itachi."_

"_Hai."_

Sasuke released himself from Itachi's memory, shutting his sharingan off in the process. He just stood there gaping and looking at Itachi in utmost shock. Itachi stared back at him with a blank expression, now ignoring the stinging pain on his leg.

"You had no choice in killing the clan?" Sasuke blurted out, it being more of a statement than question.

"Hn… I didn't want you to find out."

"Why? Why did you let me lead this path of hate for nothing?" Sasuke started tearing.

"Because… If I told you… You would hate me even more for not saving our parents ad saving you instead. If I told you…I would be taking care of you now and assassins might come and kill you anytime because of the whole Uchiha conflict thing. I couldn't risk that… So I decided to let you be independent instead." Itachi muttered.

"What the… Then why is it that I have never had any assassins confront me yet?"

"I joined the Akatsuki and the leader helped to threaten everyone. If they dared kill you, they're doomed. That was the main reason to why I actually joined the Akatsuki." Itachi explained. Sasuke just sat on the ground.

"You did all these and never told me…because you cared?" Sasuke couldn't believe what he was saying right then.

"Hn…" Itachi merely grunted, embarrassed.

"Nii-san…" Itachi was surprised by what Sasuke had just mumbled. Sasuke, too, was surprised by his own words. Itachi then smiled and pulled Sasuke into a brotherly hug.  
"I'm sorry for leaving you in the dark all these years and causing you so much pain…" He whispered. Sasuke just returned the hug.

"I'm sorry too…For hating you."

It was then a voice interrupted their moment.

"SASUKE!" The familiar blue tinted white haired man appeared in sight. Sasuke and Itachi ended their little hug and turned to face him. Suigetsu would have apologized for ruining the moment, but in this situation there was only one thing that mattered.

"Suigetsu? What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.

"It's Sakura! Sh-She's in **trouble**!" It was at that moment Sasuke felt his heart stop.

* * *

"Damn it! Suigetsu! Why did you let her follow me?" Sasuke started yelling.

"I-I don't know! She seemed so determined…and we trusted her!" Suigetsu replied, running with Sasuke. He had already explained the situation to Sasuke.

They had left Itachi at the battle area due to his injured leg. Itachi told them he would be fine and that he'd wait for them to come back. He even added in the fact that Sakura was way more important. They then thanked him for his understanding and left.

"You should know better! Sakura's some dare devil wannabe and would do any reckless thing that probably hasn't even been given a name by earthlings!" Sasuke seethed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY! I really didn't want this to happen…I didn't expect the entrance of the cave to be crushed thanks to your Kirin…" Suigetsu felt guilt.

"You know what? This is not important now. What's important is that we get there, claw through that damn entrance and get her out of there. She wouldn't be hurt. With your water jutsu she probably is deeper into the cave and wouldn't be crushed by those boulders in the entrance. She's safe and that's what matters." Sasuke increased his speed.

"Sasuke…"

"Hn?"

"I forgot to add that the _entire _cave was crushed…"

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks.

"The _entire _damn cave is _crushed with her inside_?" Sasuke growled out. Suigetsu nodded nervously.

"SCREW IT!" Sasuke felt tears slide down his cheek and started running again, leaving Suigetsu behind.

"Wait!" Suigetsu tried catching up with him.

"I'm not going to let Sakura die…" Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"SAKURA!" He yelled, gritting his teeth and forcing himself not to breakdown.

_You love her, Sasuke. _Itachi's words kept repeating in his head.

"Sasuke… She has her super strength! Maybe she's fine after all!" Suigetsu tried cheering both Sasuke and himself up.

"Suigetsu! She's drained out from that last battle with Shisui! She was in a genjutsu, where Shisui literally drained her of every single speck of chakra she had left in her! Not to mention when she became Dark Sakura. She's empty now, Suigetsu! Empty! She has no energy left for her to punch those bloody boulders away!" Sasuke turned his head to look at Suigetsu, who was behind him trying to catch up with the speed he was running at. Suigetsu only looked down, being depressed again.

"Sasuke, the village is quite far from where we're at, but I'm going to get fast and inform your village about Sakura." Suigetsu informed Sasuke before zooming off and running at a very fast speed. Sasuke just nodded.

* * *

"Kakashi you bastard… I can't even move now." Kisame groaned, lying flat on the ground.

"Well, at least I didn't kill you."

"So, why didn't you?"

"You were the one that summoned all those dead shinobi. If you died, they won't disappear because the jutsu would remain." Kakashi rolled his eyes.

Kisame looked up onto the sky to see a black crow flying above him.  
"Itachi..?" He mumbled.

"Itachi?" Kakashi repeated.

"Ah I get it. He sent the crow here to tell me to stop the invasion- What?" Kisame twitched.  
"Hmm… So are you going to summon them back or what?" Kakashi used his foot to nudge Kisame.

"Fine…" Kisame did a mental jutsu and soon, all the resurrected shinobi vanished.

"Okay, bye!" Kakashi skipped off.

"OI! You're not just going to leave me here, are you?" Kisame stopped him.

"Actually, I am. Don't worry. The ANBU will settle you. Toodles!" Kakashi left him there.

"Itachi asked for the invasion to stop… What happened during his battle with Sasuke? Did Sasuke… No, he couldn't have died…" Kakashi tried thinking of different outcomes to Sasuke and Itachi's battle.

* * *

Karin blinked.

"The zombie things disappeared! Yay! Sasuke-kun won the battle!" Karin started jumping around excitedly. Juugo just heaved a sigh of relief. In about 15 minutes time of watching the villagers cheer, Juugo spotted Suigetsu running towards them. He was pretty surprised and quickly called out to him.

"Suigetsu!"

Suigetsu slowed down and stopped, before panting really hard.

"I…can't talk…n-now… Sakura…trouble…" He said in between breaths.

"What? Weren't you with her? How could you have arrived here so fast?"

"I… got lost while…going there…But now I remembered…the route so…" Suigetsu took in an unbelievable amount of air before exhaling it.

"You did a good job remembering the route…Your speed is unbelievable too…Anyway, what happened to Saku-"

"I can't talk!" Suigetsu forced himself to run off, though drained out.

Juugo and Karin just stood there in confusion.

* * *

"Baa-chan! The zombies are gone! Does that mean teme won the battle?" Naruto arrived at where Tsunade was, outside the hospital and started cheering. Hinata was just behind him.

"We do not know, Naruto. There could be many possibilities to what happened.

"Tsunade-sama, reporting. ANBU are taking care of Kisame now. He dispelled all the resurrected shinobi." Kakashi arrived too, as it was his duty to inform the hokage.

"Neji and the rest should be heading here soon." Kakashi added in.

"What? You mean Sasuke could have died?" Naruto gasped at Tsunade.

"No-"

"HOOOOOOOOOKAGEEEEEE!" A loud voice filled Tsunade, Naruto and Kakashi's ears. They had to cover them to prevent them from bursting.

"What the? It's you!" Tsunade pointed at Suigetsu who was panting heavily.

"Yeah! Follow me! Quick!" He started pulling Tsunade's hand, though slightly breathless.

"What? Explain!"

"NO TIME!"

"What do you mean no time? How's Sasuke?"

"ALIVE!"

"How's Sakura?"

"DEAD!"

With that, Kakashi, Naruto and Tsunade all froze and paled. They were all wide eyed and didn't know what to do. Naruto was the first to break out of this state. He rushed to where Suigetsu was and began shaking him by the shoulders violently.

"SUIGETSU! Sakura's _dead_?" He started tearing. Suigetsu in turn bit his lip to prevent sobs and looked away.

"I don't know… She got crushed by a cave…" Suigetsu managed to say out.

"Take me to where she is!" Tsunade started pulling Suigetsu away.

"I'm coming along!" Naruto ran along.

"Kakashi! You stay here and inform the rest on sending more ninjas and ANBU! I'll make markings on the trees in the forest to lead you to where we are!" Tsunade said, stopping Kakashi from running with them. He just remained there, speechless.

* * *

Loud shouts and yells were heard from the cave. Sasuke had already reached the cave and was discouraged by the amount of damage done to it. Sasuke was already halfway through destroying the entrance and creating a huge hole. He couldn't use a very high level technique, as it might cause more boulders to fall. If that happened, Sakura would be crushed more. Instead, he kept using lightning techniques and fire techniques to slowly create holes, checking if Sakura was in any of them. He had already over exhausted himself, using Chidori more than 3 times now. It was over his limit and he was running out of chakra, but he wasn't relying on chakra and energy now. He was relying on **emotion**.

"Sakura…Don't die… I love you." Sasuke uttered whilst sobbing.

* * *

Me: Hey! How's the chapter? With Sakura's death being a very high possibility and Sasuke finally admitting that he loves her, what will happen?  
Mangetsu: YO!

Me: Heh, you're Suigetsu's brother, aren't you? I see where he gets his hyperness from!

Mangetsu: True that! So, I'm supposed to say something right?  
Me: Mmhmm.

Mangetsu: Read the next chapter and review!

Me: Well, not exactly how the others phrased it for the previous chapters, but I like it!


	23. Chapter 23 Sunflowers

CHAPTER 23: Sunflowers

Disclaimer: IMMA GO ON STRIKE SINCE NARUTO AIN'T MINE!

Helloooooooo! Once again, I have uploaded late ): This time, extremely late. I AM SO SORRY! It's just that I've got so much on my schedule and I couldn't find time to write! But now that this schedule is cleared, MUAHAHAHAHAH Writing, here I come!

Hope you enjoy chapter 23! :D THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. ONE MORE CHAPTER (but not a very long one) TILL THE END BEFORE THE SEQUEL.

* * *

Footsteps halted, breaths hitched and eyes simply widened. The sight before them was too unbelievable to be true. Uchiha Sasuke crying and trying to smash that cave into half was what they were witnessing.

"S-Sasuke…" Naruto called, blinking at the amount smoke caused and all the small holes in the cave. Sasuke just ignored him and continued using his chidori.

"He is over-exhausted… He just finished a fight with Itachi, didn't he? He has used chidori so many times despite that…" Tsunade observed all of the small holes as she began walking towards where Sasuke was.

"Uchiha!" Her yell was firm. Sasuke just grunted and continued what he was doing.

"Didn't you hear me?" Tsunade grabbed his hand, halting his Chidori from connecting with the cave. Sasuke in turn just snapped and immediately turned to glare at her. What Tsunade saw in his eyes shocked her. Sadness, regret, longing and…love.

"Suigetsu, go get Itachi to Konoha." Tsunade ordered, her eyes never leaving Sasuke's.

"H-Hai…" Suigetsu jumped off. Naruto just stood there quietly.

"Sasuke, stop it. I'll do it." Tsunade spoke.

"Get away from me! I'll do it myself! Leave me alone!" Sasuke growled.

"Uchiha! She means a lot to me too, okay? I trained her, I witnessed her grow, I taught her! She's like my daughter, so stop being stubborn with me!" Tsunade pushed his hand down with little force. Sasuke's eyes broadened.

"I feel your pain, okay? Everyone does. It's just that you only realized how much she means to you _now_." Tsunade sighed. Sasuke yanked his hand off and backed away.

"Don't use your super strength." Sasuke suddenly said.

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Hn."

"I'm not using it, yet."

"Oi!"

"I know what I'm doing, asshole."

"Tch…"

Tsunade closed her eyes and started chanting an unfamiliar jutsu.

* * *

Itachi gazed up at the dark clouds.

"What a surprising day it turned out to be… The weather… Something bad is happening…" He mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes, feeling the breeze. He slowly laid himself down, mindful of the injuries he had. A sudden image of a certain someone popped up into his head.

Pink hair… Green Eyes… You guessed it.

"Sakura Haruno eh…" Itachi chuckled as he opened his eyes, once again setting them at the sky. This time, the dark clouds were clearing out, being replaced by the sun.

He thought about how much Sasuke had changed and how Sakura was the best reason there was for him to have done so. He also thought about how hard it was for her to have even stuck by such a bastard like him. He found himself smiling as his gaze never faltered.

"Thank you for everything, Sakura-san."

* * *

"Neji, Ten Ten, Ino, Lee, Shikamaru, Hinata! Thank Kami-sama you're all here!" Kakashi looked extremely fearful in their point of views for the first time in their lives.

"Kakashi, what is it?" Shikamaru ran towards him from here they all were gathered.

"We heard from the ANBU to gather in groups." Neji also went forward. Ten Ten, Ino, Lee and Hinata followed up.

"I need you headed for an area near the Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold. Neji, Hinata, use your Byakugan to locate Tsunade, Naruto and Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Ten Ten repeated, puzzled.

"Long story, it'll be explained along the way by probably Ino or Neji." Kakashi answered.

"Why are we headed there, Kakashi-san?" Lee raised a question.

"Sakura. She's in trouble." Kakashi got to the point, though eyes closing.

"Trouble?" This time Ino pushed her way to the direct front of Kakashi. "What _kind _of trouble?"

"…" Ino narrowed her eyes. "Knowing her… It's something big, isn't it? Is she injured? Is she in a battle with dangerous ninja? Is she unconscious?" She continued pressing Kakashi, who just stayed silent. Everyone's ears were waiting for his answer.

Kakashi looked down. One was Sakura's best friend. Two were Sakura's other close girl friends. One loves her like some maniac. The other two care about her like they are her brothers. Now she knew how hard it was for Suigetsu to tell Tsunade, who was Sakura's _mentor and mother-like figure_, Naruto, Sakura's _best guy friend and brother-like figure_, and who has been through a lot with Sakura, and himself, her _sensei_.

"None of them…" He managed to speak.

"Oh..? Oh I know, she made Sasuke fuming mad or something and Sasuke's taking out his anger on Naruto? Ah geez, really! Sakura can be such a-"

"She might be dead."  
"Handful..." Ino's her breath hitched when she heard Kakashi's words. The rest of the gang just paled.

"DEAD?"

* * *

"Itachi! There you are…Wait…" Suigetsu suddenly froze as he realized what could have been happening. Itachi just laid on the floor with his eyes closed.

"Don't tell me…" He hurried over to Itachi before pausing. He gulped before using his foot to nudge Itachi's side. There was no movement or response.

"KAMI-SAMA. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? First it was Sakura, now it's this dude? How's Sasuke gonna respond? Ugh!"Suigetsu knelt down next to Itachi's motionless self.

"I already feel depressed enough too… I've not felt like this in ages…" Suigetsu sighed.

"He's dead too…" Suigetsu poked him continuously.

"I'm such a lonely guy… Now I know how Naruto felt… having his best girl friend leave him like that… A girl friend to hang out with is such an important thing to a guy too… Who am I going to go emotional on now? Who's going to be the sister I always wanted?"

Itachi stirred.

"Oh dear… Now Itachi's dead too… Sasuke is going to be so lonely… He'll only have Naruto and myself, who are now depressed fellows for life… He has no parents… No Best friend to laugh with… No Sakura to love…"

"Hn…No Sakura to love? So you know too eh?"

"No Sakura to think about all the time… No Sakura to deny his love for… No Sakura to have wild dreams about wanting to hug her and do all sorts of stuff with her…"

"Hn, was Sasuke always this dirty-minded? Tsk tsk tsk…"

"No Sakura to argue with though he is secretly pleased he is gaining attention from her…No Sakura for him to make happy. No Sakura to make him SMILE…"

"Tch, I knew Sasuke has been obsessed with her since the time he set his eyes on her."  
"I don't even know how I know all these… Maybe his love for her is just too obvious…"

"That's because Sasuke's a dumbass that doesn't see his emotions. It's all pasted behind his back. That's why he can't see it."

"Well yeah that's true… I mean only others can see what's pasted on his back, he can't see what's on his back unless he has a mirr- OH MY KAMI-SAMA YOU ARE ALIVE? I THOUGHT YOUR VOICE WAS SOME… VOICE IN MY HEAD OH FREAK YOU. ARE. ALIVE!" Suigetsu suddenly jumped up to see Itachi staring at him with his onyx eyes. He quickly hugged Itachi up.

"YOU ARE ALIVE YAY!"

"Tch! Injuries…"

"Oh okay sorry."

"Dumbass. Thought I was dead. I was clearly sleeping. I was breathing you idiot. Who else could have suddenly butted into your little conversation with yourself? Do you think that your voice and my voice are similar? Mine's lower from what I know."

"… You know, Itachi… I'm really depressed and all and I'm not really that blunt when I am but…"

"Hn?"

"Sir, you are exactly like Sasuke. Both bastards."

"… Do you want me to Mangekyo you?"

"You don't have enough chakra, loser."

"… I'll kill you when I get back my chakra."

Gulp.

"What, scared now?" Intimidating stare.

"No…" Sweat drop.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"…Supposed to bring you back to Konoha to get you treated."

"Aa."

Stare.

Stare.

* * *

Silence surrounded the three of them. Tsunade was sitting on the floor, concentrating on a huge ball of chakra that was now in front of her. She moved it from side to side frequently, and her facial expression kept changing too. From motivated to disappointed, happy to sad. Naruto then went up to her and broke the silence.

"What are you doing?"

"Searching for any presences in the cave, dead or alive. This chakra ball acts as an eye similar to the Byakugan."

"Oh… Why go through this trouble?"

"… If Sakura wasn't in it, she would crush the entire cave and look further down. Otherwise, she would crush bit by bit till she gets to Sakura." Sasuke helped answer this time. Tsunade nodded, hearing the Uchiha's statement.

"Oh."

"Nothing." Tsunade stood up and the chakra disappeared.

"What?" Both Naruto and Sasuke said.

"There's nothing in there but boulders."

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked down in disappointment.

Suddenly, both of them heard a loud explosion. Tsunade had crashed almost the entire cave, the boulders becoming bits of stone and the cave walls and ceiling came tumbling down like powder.

"Walk." Tsunade ordered.

The trio walked in silence, searching for any clues. Naruto was the first to stop walking.

"What is it?" The tension was just unbelievable as Sasuke spoke.

"Water." These boulders are wet. Recently wet." Naruto put his palm on a boulder. Tsunade and Sasuke did the same on boulders near themselves.

"Suigetsu… He told me that he used a water jutsu to push Sakura into the cave. Further into the cave." Sasuke explained.

"Then she must be in here somewhere!" Naruto bit his lip.

"We'll walk till we see that the boulders aren't wet anymore. Her body should be somewhere near where the water stopped flowing." Tsunade quickly fastened her pace.

"This is the cave, isn't it? Tsunade, Naruto and Sasuke's presences are up ahead." Neji nodded.

"Search time." Ten Ten ran into the cave. The others followed suit.

They eventually found Tsunade, Sasuke and Naruto.

"Anything yet, Hokage-sama? Back up squads are coming asap." Neji informed Tsunade.

"No. Keep searching for clues." Tsunade went further into the cave

"Guys." Lee's traumatized voice startled them. They all turned to face him. His bangs hid his expression but he held something in his hand.

"Lee? What's in your hand?" Kakashi raised.

"…It's…" Lee raised the item and showed it to everyone. It shined and it didn't take long for them to know what it was.

"Sakura's…headband…" Sasuke felt his heart go down even deeper. Sakura never left anywhere without her head band. Whether she was losing a battle or not, her head band always stayed on her head. She never slashed it even though she was no longer in Konoha. She treated it like it was her very own baby. She told him that she swore she'd never lose it or leave it behind and that she would die with it in her hands. Now, it was left in this cave. He unknowingly clenched his fists tighter.

"Guys… Her medical pouch." Ten Ten found another one of Sakura's items on the floor, not far from where Lee was. Everyone felt more disheartened by the second.

They picked up her stuff and continued going deeper into the cave, when Tsunade suddenly ceased her footsteps.

"Sakura…" A boulder caught her eye and she immediately ran towards it, feeling the carving on it.

It was a cross. A cross carved out with _blood_.

Everyone quickly ran to where it was. Ino froze. Naruto froze. Kakashi froze. Ten Ten froze. Neji froze. Tsunade froze. Lee froze. Hinata froze. Shikamaru froze. Everyone froze except Sasuke, who did not know what the hell was going on. His temper rose to the maximum till he yelled,

"What is it? What does this mean?" He then realized with his quick thinking that he was the only one that hadn't gone on a Konoha mission with her after she became stronger.

"Sakura… She told all of us before our missions that if she were in a dangerous situation that she could never get out of, and she _knew_ that she would die from it, she would carve this out with her own blood. It meant that she was already dead and we should give up all hope on ever finding her body. She told that to us on every single mission we went on with her, so that we wouldn't waste time trying to find her…" Ino started crying.

"W-What?" Sasuke's heart stopped beating during that moment of time. _Sakura? Dead? _

"She always told me that if this day came, I should immediately go back to Konoha, set up a funeral for her, offer light pink roses to her grave and be happy afterwards. Then, she would be happy wherever she is…" Ten Ten gave a dead chuckle.

Everyone just stood there in silence, offering their prayers to Sakura. Tears were shed at that very moment.

* * *

The war was over. The village was in ruins. It was raining very heavily. Black surrounded an open field. No umbrellas were open. There were just photo frames and an altar, complete with flowers. Dead shinobi from the war were respected, all their framed photographs in one row. One certain framed photo had Uchiha Sasuke crying. Badly.

Every person from the village went up to the photo frame, offered their blessings, smiled while remembering the memories they had with that certain girl and left their flowers.

Naruto went up first.

"Sakura-chan… I can't believe you're gone… You were always with me. At first I was a pest to you but look what we've become? Best friends eh… I never got to show you how great I would be as a Hokage. I never got to show you how I would beat Sasuke-teme…" Naruto chuckled emotionlessly. "I love you Sakura-chan…I will tell Hinata-chan that I love her too, you always told me to do so but I never listen… I promise you… I promise you that I won't treat my future lightly…I will be Hokage. I will settle down with Hinata… I won't fight with Sasuke-teme as much anymore. I will listen to instructions too and not cause that much havoc. You're the bestest girl friend anyone could want…" Naruto continued his little speech in his head, taking note of the number of people in line waiting for him to finish whispering to her photograph. He placeHe placed a pink rose in front of her photograph.

It was then Ino's turn.

"Forehead… I'll never be able to call you that anymore…" Ino smiled at the memories. "You're dead. Before me. I… You're the best friend I've ever had… No matter how we argue and stuff. I miss you a lot already. Keep smiling up there, okay? I can't take long now… People are waiting… Screw them but I know a certain person in line that just can't wait to talk to you. He's just too impatient for his own good. I'll talk to you everyday in front of your grave. I promise." She left the rose and walked off.

Everyone of Sakura's friends continued talking to her as the line became shorter. Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Neji, Ten Ten, Gaara, Juugo, Suigetsu, Kankuro, Temari, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, name them. They all cried. Even Karin cried. Heck, everyone was crying. Some wailing, some fainted from the shock and sadness. Sasuke… He was trying to manage. He was crying badly enough. Finally, it was his turn.

"Sakura." Sasuke bit out. "I'll never get to call you annoying ever again huh…"He shook his head. "I'll never get to hear you call me Sasuke-kun again too…" He winced. "I took all these for granted. Truth is… I've always loved you, since we were in genin. I… I was a coward in love. I didn't dare to face that I was in love. Of all people. _Uchiha Sasuke_ was in love with Haruno Sakura. I don't even know how you managed to stand how cocky I was. Maybe how cocky I am. The first time you met my team. I didn't need your powers on my team. Surely you would make a great addition to my team, but I did not exactly need you like how I needed Karin's powers. I wanted you. I wanted you to stay by my side. I left you in Konoha for your safety. But I thought that I could protect you if you were with me…I was obviously wrong. I mean, you are…dead." Tears flowed down endlessly. "You can only imagine how much regret I feel right now. I didn't treasure you… I didn't protect you… Worst of all, I didn't tell you how I felt. I tried looking for you once more at the cave without the gang. No prevail. I couldn't find a thing. Not a soul. I don't know. All the things I want to say cant be said in words. It's just so hard to put it into words. Everything I want to say is in here. I think God can somehow make you be able to read my heart." He placed his hand above his heart, on his now bandaged chest. "Since you would be able to know what I'm talking about… Just to finish… I'll never love anyone as much as I love you. I'll not get a girlfriend or whatever. I'll die single for all I care. I'll let Itachi do the restoring of the clan thing. Oh, we've made up… You've always wanted that, right? At least I somehow fulfilled one of your wishes. Be happy in heaven. I won't be able to see your smile or feel your happiness anymore but it relieves me to know that there's someone to protect you up there…" Sasuke cried hard. Very hard. He picked up the photo frame and gazed longingly at Sakura's smiling portrait. Things would never be the same for him. He placed it on his lips and kissed the photo frame, where Sakura's face was. "I love you." He whispered one last time at the photo frame before setting it down. He then placed a sun flower by her picture. Out of the hundreds of pink roses in front of her photograph, his was the only sunflower. Why, you may ask? He smiled at the sudden memory from when they were in the Academy, before they were genin.

Flashback

"_Sasuke-kun!" _

"_Hn?"_

"_What's your favorite flower? The teacher told us to make a flower bouquet and give it to a new friend! You are my new friend, right?"_

"_Aa…"_

"_Great! So, what's your favorite flower, Sasuke-kun?"_

"_I don't have a favorite flower…"_

"_Why is that?"_

"_I'm a boy… Boys don't have favorite flowers… Because we are boys."_

"_Oh… Something about being manly, ne? Hm it's okay… How about your ka-san? What was her favorite flower?"_

"…"

"_Sasuke-kun?"_

"_I don't like talking about my family…"_

"_Oh…" As realization hit the young Sakura, she quickly looked down.  
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"_

"_Whatever…"_

"…"

"_Sakura."_

"_Hm? Sasuke-kun?"_

"_What's your favorite flower?"_

"_Sunflowers! They're so pretty. Yellow is a pretty color! It symbolizes optimism and happiness. Ino-chan taught that to me." Sakura smiled._

"_**Sunflowers**__… Ka-san likes them too…" Sasuke nodded._

"_Really? Wonderful! Me and Sasuke-kun's ka-san like the same flower!" _

End of flashback

"Sunflowers… Optimism… Happiness… Just like her." Ino suddenly appeared next to him.

"Hn…"

"I'm surprised that you know her favorite flower back then."

"…"

That sorrowful day was spent not really well. People crying, reminiscing and thinking about Sakura. Not a happy day for anyone. Sakura's group of closest friends just spent the day in each other's presences, silently thinking to themselves and comfortable with the silence.

Sasuke went to visit Itachi at the hospital and had a light chat. He then lay down on the hospital bed opposite from Itachi's and thought about Sakura once again, tears rolling down his cheek and a smile appearing on his face now and then.

His brother took note of how he did not whine and yell like it was the end of the world or anything. He just cried silently, smiled a small smile and stayed quiet. His brother found that out of the ordinary. He then realized what his brother was feeling in contrast to the others.

_Nothing. _

It was like as if Sasuke had lost his entire self. Like as if Sasuke had just collapsed emotionally. Like as if his _whole world_ was just taken away from him so suddenly. It was a new kind of pain and sadness. It was not depression nor was it that Sasuke did not care or not have a heart.

_He just died internally_.

* * *

Me: **THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO( a short one) BEFORE ENDING BACK TOGETHER. BUT DON'T FORGET, THERE IS A SEQUEL.**

My inner self: Hi.

Me: Everyone in this story is so sad, so I couldn't get another speaker to come. I'm also sad, but what can I do? This is my story.

My inner self: Hmm…

Me: As you can see, my inner self is sad too.

My inner self: Mmhmm…

Me: Anyway, THIS IS NOT THE END, BUDDIES. ONE MORE CHAPTER, ONE SEQUEL. DO NOT RUN AWAY.

My inner self: Yep…

Me: Okay… :/

My iner self: Read and review, kay?

Hope you enjoyed! :)


	24. Chapter 24 Back Together

CHAPTER 24: Back Together

Disclaimer: Nope… Naruto's still not mine. :(

Hey guys! It's been a long time! SORRY! It's been ages since I last uploaded! ): But I have a good reason! I suffered from the infamous writers' block and it's been a real busy year… I don't have enough time for fanfiction! So since I'm having a break now, here's chapter 24 of Back Together! (: I really hope you guys enjoy it and stay with me till the sequel!

* * *

Konoha was rebuilt, but the familiar warm aura of it was no longer there. A lot had changed since the war. People seldom went out and Konoha wasn't as lively as it was before.

_He_ walked around the streets of the now gloomy Konoha. The sight of him was unbelievable. He resembled a walking corpse. His clothes were dull and dirty, his hair was incredibly untidy-bangs all over his face and uncombed and his face was void of any emotion. This was a complete opposite of the handsome, neat and the most envied man in Konoha.

Shizune followed behind silently, footsteps hardly heard. She was his caretaker for the day. He had collapsed a few days ago due to malnutrition and dangerously low chakra levels. He was supposed to be hospitalized for a week, but had left the hospital without a word. He had a look of firmness on his face that repelled everybody and no one dared to hinder his actions. Shizune could only follow behind him helplessly, lest he collapsed once again. Her constant pleads for him to go back were only ignored and responded with a bitter silence that tensed up the whole aura around them. She realized then, that he could take silence, coldness and bitterness to a whole new level. A level that could frighten anybody in sight. Goosebumps formed on her skin and she shivered as she looked at the boy walking in front of her.

He no longer lived a life worth living.

"Sasuke!" Shizune jerked at the sudden voice that came from behind her.

"Sasuke!" She looked at Sasuke expectantly, waiting for him to respond to the voice calling him. No response.

"Sasuke!" He just continued walking, unfazed by the voice calling his name.

"SASUKE!" Shizune felt a gust of wind as Naruto ran past her, towards the boy in front, and stopped him from walking.

"Sasuke! Damn it, what happened to you?" Naruto exclaimed, looking at Sasuke's disheveled figure. When he received no reply, he finally acknowledged Shizune's presence and looked at her with a questioning look on his face.

"Malnutrition. 70% drop in chakra levels." Shizune replied briefly. Naruto's sky blue eyes widened as he looked at his best friend. Sasuke looked horrible and his face was drained of any life. Naruto's eyes softened as he remembered _that_ episode.

"Sasuke… It's been almost a year… You have to at least take care of yourself." He advised. Sasuke just started walking, eyes stuck to watching the ground, bangs now shielding his face. Naruto sighed and dropped the subject.

"Anyway… I came here for a reason." No response. "Tsunade wants to see us. All of us."

* * *

Everyone was there. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ten Ten, Neji, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Sai, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo were all present.

It had been 6 months since Sasuke and his team were on probation and they were now accepted back into the village. They all were all jounins now, along with everybody else. Tsunade finally spoke.

"As jounins, all of you need to be deployed into teams for missions. I have the finalized list now." She flipped through some papers before taking out one from the stack.

"Naruto, you're with Sasuke, Suigetsu and Karin. Sasuke's the team leader." With this, Naruto sulked.

"Neji, you're with Juugo, Ten Ten and Lee. You'll be the team leader. Shikamaru, you're the team leader with Ino, Sai and Chouji in your team. Hinata, Shino and Kiba, you're team will be twinned with other ninjas of other villages." Tsunade continued.

Everyone moved to their respective teams and Tsunade seemed pleased with the arrangement. "Dismissed!"

* * *

"So…" Naruto tried to get the team talking. They were Team 1 now. _'__This __is __so __different __from T__eam __7__…' _He thought bitterly.

"Why am I cursed with such luck to be put into the same team as _you _again?" Suigetsu whined as he pointed at Karin. They seldom fought now, and have come into better terms ever since the funeral.

"How would I know?" Karin rolled her eyes.

She was no longer a fan girl of Sasuke and had grown to start noticing Suigetsu's charms. Sakura's absence had changed Karin's character. She was no longer the bitch she was last time and had become much more mature. She prayed for Sakura everyday before she went to sleep and sincerely hoped Sakura was alright.

Suigetsu had remained the chatty person he was but became less open. He didn't share his feelings anymore and bottled everything inside. Sakura would usually be his outlet when he was frustrated, but now that she wasn't there anymore, he kept things to himself.

Naruto also remained cheerful and bubbly and hid his depressed and cold self from others really easily. He missed Sakura dearly and prayed that they might find her body some day. He rarely fought with Sasuke now, pitying the guy in his current state. He was together with Hinata after so many years of liking her, and her liking him back. They were a very popular couple in Konoha.

Sasuke on the other hand… He became more uncaring, colder and hardly talked anymore. He visited her grave everyday without fail, a pang of guilt and sadness stabbing his heart every time he went there. He couldn't help but believe that she might still be alive, but let the thought slip every time he let reality hit him back cruelly.

"So… we're a team now, huh everybody? Just like old times, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned and patted his best friend's shoulder, only to realize the impact of his words after he'd said them.

"Things will never be like old times." Sasuke muttered after weeks of not speaking to the rest and turned to walk away silently, leaving a tense atmosphere behind.

* * *

"Team 1! This is your first mission as a team!" Tsunade looked at each and every one of them.

"I take you all as serious shinobi. You have to remember, that a shinobi never shows his emotions or lets _anything_ get in the way of accomplishing a mission." Tsunade glanced at Sasuke. He just stared back at her, and Tsunade looked away, not letting the pools of emptiness in his eyes get to her.

"You'll be going to the Land of Crystals to escort a few students back here to Konoha. They need your protection and this is not an easy mission as these students are wanted by many dangerous organizations and villages. You could end up in many difficult battles and have to protect these students with your lives."

"Baa-chan… You're always giving us the easy missions… Come on, we're Jounins already!" Naruto complained.

"This is not an easy mission! Although it is easier than others I have given you, I'm giving it to this team to test out how well you can work with each other!" Tsunade glared at Naruto, who just sighed and raised his hands in defeat.

"Leave for the mission by 8 in the morning. Dismissed."

* * *

Team 1 arrived in the Land of Crystals very easily with little problems. They had met with bandits, assasins and ambushes on the way, but these were easily handled by Naruto, Suigetsu and Sasuke. Karin didn't even need to lift a finger. They were escorted by the villagers to the Hokage's building, where they received instructions and met the students they were escorting.

They were then allowed to roam around the village for an hour or so as the students pack their things, and leave for Konoha afterwards.

"Suigetsu!" Naruto called out. Suigetsu looked at him expectantly. Naruto went to whisper something into his ear. Suigetsu blushed before looking at Naruto with a nervous look on his face.

"I don't know… I'm too chicken for that kind of shit!" Suigetsu replied him. Naruto sighed before replying.

"Hey man, if you don't do it now, you'll never do it. Come on, gather the guts. I'm sure Sakura will be proud of you if you did it. You and I both know you've been wanting to do this." Naruto reassured Suigetsu, who had a few panic attacks before walking over to Karin.  
"H-Hey Karin, let's go uh…walk around the village and uh… do some…stuff." He stuttered while not daring to meet her eyes.

"Yeah sure, we're going to walk around with Sasuke and Naruto, aren't we?" Karin shrugged and looked at him.

"N-No! I mean…" Suigetsu was lost for words and looked at Naruto with pleading eyes.

"NAHHH! I want to spend quality time with Sasuke here! He's my man, you know? You two go… shoo off somewhere! Bye! Hope you two have some _fun_!" Naruto winked as he pulled an unresponsive Sasuke away before Karin could react.

"SO…" Suigetsu scratched the back of his head nervously. Karin blushed and pretended to look at her nails awkwardly.

It was going to be an interesting day for those two.

* * *

Sasuke walked silently, while Naruto continued talking endlessly. He looked around the village. It resembled Konoha but had a very cheerful and happy vibe, in contrast to Konoha.

"Sasuke, can you say something?" Naruto twitched and snapped at Sasuke. Sasuke glared at Naruto from the corner of his eye, as if challenging him to say more. Sasuke wasn't watching his way and continued glaring at Naruto, who in turned glared back, when suddenly, he bumped into someone. Someone had walked straight into his muscular chest and fell down onto the ground from the impact. Sasuke also fell backwards, breaking off his glare battle with Naruto.

"Ouch! Sheesh, watch your way!" A voice interrupted the process of Naruto being slaughtered in his mind. The voice was very feminine and sounded oddly familiar. He looked up and looked straight into pure emerald eyes. His eyes widened.

"SAKURA!" He abruptly exclaimed, a shocked expression replacing the emotionless expression that had been there since her death.

Naruto, alarmed by Sasuke's exclamation, quickly turned to the girl Sasuke bumped into. She had long brown hair, which was tied up with a pink ribbon. She had a centre parting and widow's peak, and fair skin. She was wearing a black robe that stopped right above her knee caps with a grey singlet inside and sandals. She looked like a normal shinobi going for a casual walk around the village, except that she went grocery shopping, as seen from the plastic bag on the floor and the oranges rolling out of it. _'__Sakura? __What__'__s __Sasuke __thinking?__ This __girl __looks __nothing __like __Sakura! __She __looks __so __much __more __mature __and__… __different __from __the __child like __girl __Sakura __was__… She's actually quite beautiful...'_

Both Sasuke and the girl stood up at the same time. Then, to Naruto's surprise, Sasuke hugged the girl tightly. With tears streaming down his face, he cried out, "SAKURA! How could you leave me like that? I love you so much! You have no idea how much I wished for you to come back every single day since you went missing! The hell… You're finally back!" He kept sobbing as he buried his face deep into her shoulder. The girl gasped and struggled in his tight grip.

"GET OFF ME NOW!" She tried pushing him away, but was unsuccessful. She kept hitting him and kicking him but he didn't move. Naruto's eyes broadened before he started pushing them apart.

"SASUKE! Snap out of it! This isn't Sakura!" He tried convincing Sasuke, who ignored him.

"It's Sakura! You're BLIND! Go away!" Sasuke yelled.

"WHO IS SAKURA? WHO ARE _YOU_?" The girl shrieked. Sasuke pulled away from her and looked into her eyes with tear-filled eyes.  
"You! You're Sakura! It's you… Your hair colour just changed!" He shook her.

"I'm not Sakura! Who the hell is that? Get away from me! NOW!" She pushed Sasuke away violently. Sasuke looked at her, hurt crossing his features.

"YOU'RE SAKURA!" Sasuke exclaimed. They had gathered plenty of stares from the villagers by now. Naruto looked at Sasuke nervously.

"Sasuke! It's _not_ Sakura! Look at her! She has brown hair! She looks much more mature than Sakura! Look at her curves! Look at everything! SHE'S NOT SAKURA!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke.

"SHE IS!" Sasuke punched Naruto, earning many gasps from the villagers. Naruto's face darkened.  
"Look, I know Sakura's death affecte-"

"SHE DIDN'T DIE! SHE'S RIGHT HERE!" Sasuke pointed at 'Sakura'. The girl just rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Look my name's not Sakura, okay? You recognized the wrong person!" She tried knocking sense into Sasuke.

"Heard that, teme?" Naruto rubbed the spot where Sasuke had punched him at.

Sasuke's face just darkened, an infuriated expression plastering his face. Suddenly, black marks started dominating his whole body. The marks started spreading everywhere and he started shaking.

Naruto cursed. _'__Damn __it! __His __cursed __seal __activated! __What __do __I __do __now?__'_

The villagers watched the scene in horror, as Sasuke's skin became a dark grey shade and as his hair grew longer. Wings shaped like hands started appearing on his back. He looked at Naruto. He was enraged. His face was filled with hate and anger. Naruto backed away.

"It's Sakura!" Sasuke hissed.

"Sasuke, it's not Sakura! Snap out of it!" Naruto seethed as his fingernails grew longer. He was going to turn into the nine tailed fox. Just then, Suigetsu and Karin pushed through the crowd to view the commotion.

"DAMN IT! Naruto's going to turn into the Kyuubi! What now?" Suigetsu exclaimed in horror. Right then, the villagers started to scream and run away, afraid that they would be harmed. Karin rushed over to the girl in between Sasuke and Naruto and pulled her away.

"We have to get out of here." She said to the girl, before running away with her to a safer place. Sasuke watched as the girl was pulled away from him. That made him angrier. He was going to go after them, when Naruto jumped on him to prevent him from moving.

"SUIGETSU! Give me a hand!" Naruto roared.

"What the shit? Can you control yourself?" Suigetsu ran over hesitantly.

"I can! I have a seal that would keep the Kyuubi in me! Hurry up, knock him out!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands and tried to cease any movement from him. Suigetsu quickly located the knock-out point of Sasuke and applied tremendous pressure onto it. Sasuke suddenly stopped moving and drifted into unconsciousness.

All he could see was black. _'__Sakura__… __Come __back__…'_

* * *

He heard hushed murmurs coming from outside the room.

"The students were safely escorted here. Good job."

" Yeah. Sorry we couldn't handle Sasuke properly, baa-chan."

"I understand. You guys did your best. Suigetsu, Karin, I need you two to follow me back to finish up the documents for this mission."

"Hai!"

"Naruto, you stay here and take care of Sasuke. He's already awake."

Sasuke stiffened upon hearing that and shifted his body to face away from the door. Footsteps were heard walking away from the door that separated his room from the corridor and slowly, the sound of the footsteps kept getting softer and softer. Then, the door opened and someone entered.

"Sasuke. I know you're awake." Naruto voiced out. Sasuke remained silent.

"I know you still haven't gotten over Sakura and none of us have either. That girl in the village... We already apologized to her. She's not Sakura." Naruto said softly. Sasuke's eyes saddened.

"Naruto." Naruto's jerked up and he looked at Sasuke incredulously. He hadn't called him his name since forever. Sasuke turned to face Naruto.

"I know Sakura's still out there... That was her... I swear." He murmured softly, unsure of how Naruto would react to that.

"Sometimes… We have to accept reality. Sakura-chan wouldn't want to see you in this state. She always advised you to stay happy, didn't she?" Naruto tried comforting Sasuke. Sasuke just nodded.

"It's hard to accept it, but you have to. The least you could do for her now would be to fulfill her wishes. You returned to Konoha and stopped your whole revenge plot, that's a good start." Naruto pulled Sasuke to sit up.

"Now, all you have to do is to move on with life and live it happily. Everything happens for a reason right?" Naruto continued, before pulling Sasuke into a brotherly hug. For the first time, Sasuke broke down badly since her death. He cried and the tears flowed endlessly. Naruto pulled away before taking something out of his pocket.

"She gave this to me a few years ago. I just didn't know when to give it to you." Naruto stated, before handing the object over to Sasuke. It was a simple black ring with the engraving 'Smile'. Naruto then handed Sasuke a card.

"She wrote it when you left and passed it to me, in case I ever encountered you in a battle…" Naruto explained. "So… Stay happy for Sakura's sake and continue being the bastard you are." Naruto smiled, before leaving the room.

Sasuke stared at the card for awhile before reading it.

_Sasuke-kun,_

_I've always wanted to marry you! :) But that's kind of impossible, now that you've left. I really hope you come back… That's all I ask for… For you to come back, remain a Leaf Village shinobi and no longer be bent on revenge. I also want you to be happy. No matter what, no matter how down you are, no matter how bad a situation is… Remember to smile. That's how I live my life… Though I constantly got rejected by you, I continued being happy and thought of the positive things in life- That I met you. Though we're separated, I hope that you'll always smile and be happy. True happiness comes from within. I hope that you live life happily and always smile, no matter how bad a situation may seem. Whether you come back or not, I hope that you're happy wherever you are. Everything happens for a reason and I believe meeting you is one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I love you, Sasuke-kun. _

_Love, Sakura. A.k.a, annoying. :P_

He slipped the black ring onto his finger and stared at it, before a genuine smile made a way to his face. He closed his eyes and felt peaceful for the first time since she went missing.

* * *

"Hey Sasuke! You're so slow! Hurry up already!" Suigetsu whined while stomping his feet at the gates of Konoha.

"Hmph, whatever. At least I'm not as slow as your stupid brain, who can't register what's right in front of you." Sasuke smirked slightly, as he looked from Suigetsu to Karin. They just blushed ten shades of red. Everyone widened their eyes at Sasuke and his shocking comment.

"Sasuke, what's wrong with you?" Suigetsu gasped. Naruto grinned.

"Finally knocked some sanity into you, huh?" Naruto smiled at Sasuke and punched him lightly, before heading out of the village gates for yet another mission.

"Hn…" Sasuke looked at the ring on his finger. "True happiness comes from within." His eyes softened as he looked up to the sky, a warm smile crossing over his angelic features. _'__We__'__ll __be __**back **__**together **__some day. __I __know __it.__'_

* * *

HIIIIIIIII! This marks the end of Back Together, but the beginning of the SEQUEL! xD I hoped you enjoyed it! I'd like to thank all my fellow readers and reviewers! YOU ARE LOVED! (: So I was wrong, this chapter is PRETTY long, and not that short. :P But the longer the better right? ;)

I really love you all for supporting my story. I will include all your names at the end of the sequel! ;) I really truly love all of you because you have given me so much confidence in writing and I have improved so much! See you soon, at my SEQUEL!:D Please continue supporting me! Arigato! :)

**LOVE :),**

**Hitomi Junko**


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